Abigail the Whale
Written by Davide Cali
Translated by Karen Li
Illustrated by Sonja Bougaeva
Owlkids Books  9/15/2016
978-1-77147-198-5
32 pages    Ages 6—9

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“Abigail dreads swimming lessons. Every time she dives into the pool, she makes a big splash, and all the girls in her class shout: “Abigail’s a whale!” Abigail can see that she is larger than the other girls. She feels huge, heavy, and out of place.

“Abigail’s swimming teacher takes her aside and points out: we can change how we see ourselves. He offers a creative visualization technique she can use to feel bolder, more confident, and more accepting of herself.” [PUBLISHER WEBSITE]

Review
Abigail swims every Wednesday. Every Wednesday she quietly slips in, tries to miss the cold water splashing from the showers, and slips into the pool area to join line #7, always last in line. But none of that helps. Whenever Abigail dives into the pool, the other girls taunt her.

“Abigail is a Whale!”

After one swimming class, Abigail stays back to talk with the swimming instructor. Abigail tells him she is “too big and heavy.” The teacher replies.

“We are what we think. If you want to swim well, you have to think light. So, if you want to feel light, think light!”

Soon after, Abigail tries her instructor’s advice. It is dark on the way home, to stop being scared Abigail imagines she is a GIANT. In gym class, she thinks of kangaroos and jumps higher. When she needs a shot, she thinks of a statue and the needle does not hurt. While walking in the hall at school, Abigail thinks of the shining sun and Elliot smiles at her for the first time. (Though in the illustrations Elliot is not smiling). Knowing that the swim instructor’s advice works, Abigail confidently enters the next swim class.
Ready to make her dive, Abigail thinks of a rocket and dives into the pool without a splash. She then thinks of other things—kayak, surfboard, submarine, and speedboat—and swims each stroke nicely. No one calls her a whale, but when she does emerge from the water, Betty dares her to jump from the highest dive, “if you’re such a good swimmer now.”

Abigail takes the dare, and thinks not of the lightest thing she can, but of the heaviest. She thinks whale . . . no, “SUPER WHALE!” The illustration shows the result: a smiling swim instructor and two girls laughing, while Betty is off to the side, drenched from the water Abigail’s Super Whale sent her way.
Abigail the Whale is a story about bullying and self-esteem. I don’t understand why the coach never addresses the other girls or their bullying. He simply stands there looking at Abigail as she walks back into line, head down. Considering the instructor is a man of girth, one would think he would say something. In the end, the bullies actually get away with their nasty words simply because it is never addressed.

Abigail learning mindfulness—to make herself feel better—is great, but her real problem remains:  she is overweight and simply thinking slim is not going to change this. I do like the exercise in thinking mindfully, as it keeps one centered and living each day fully aware and thus fully alive. It is also a lesson in creative problem solving, which works great for Abigail.

The ending has a nice twist, with the one remaining bully getting a face full of water by the one she torments. Yet, this ending seems forced and not complete. Abigail thinking of herself as a “super whale” only confirms the bullies’ taunts. (Maybe this is the joke.) There must have been a better way to end this story. Regardless, Abigail the Whale is a funny story and kids will like this humor. Add in less thinking and more doing—about the bully students—and maybe Abigail is a Whale would justify the taunting title.

ABIGAIL THE WHALE. Text copyright © 2016 by Davide Cali. Illustrations copyright © 2016 by Sonja Bougaeva. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Owlkids Books, Berkeley, CA.

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Find Abigail the Whale on Goodreads HERE.

Davide Cali:  http://www.davidecali.com/
Follow on Twitter          #DavideCali

Sonja Bougaeva:  http://www.sonja-bougaeva.de/
Follow on Twitter          #SonjaBougaeva

Owlkids Books:  http://www.owlkids.com/          https://us.owlkids.com/
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Owlkids Books is a division of Bayard.

Originally published in France by Éditions Sarbacane © 2009, Marlène Baleine

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Reprinted with permission from ABIGAIL THE WHALE © 2009 by Davide Cali, © 2016 Owlkids Books, an imprint of Bayard, Illustrations © 2009 by Sonja Bougaeva.

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Copyright © 2016 by Sue Morris/Kid Lit Reviews. All Rights Reserved

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Abigail the Whale
Written by Davide Cali
Translated by Karen Li
Illustrated by Sonja Bougaeva
Owlkids Books 9/15/2016
9781771471985