Moby Dick
Chasing the Great White Whale
-
- $17.99
-
- $17.99
Publisher Description
AHOY!
Come with us aboard the Pequod.
We search for Moby Dick,
the Great White Whale!
Along with Captain Ahab,
you'll meet danger face to face,
hunting the fiercest creature
the seas have ever known!
Are you brave enough—
and bold enough—
for the adventure of your life?
The award-winning author and illustrator team of Eric A. Kimmel and Andrew Glass introduce a new generation of readers to a magnificent and memorable retelling of Herman Melville's masterpiece, Moby Dick.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Kimmel (Even Higher!) works hard to make this classic accessible to young readers, distilling Melville's sprawling epic into sturdy ballad-style verse: "Then Captain Ahab came on deck./ What happened to his leg?/ T'was bitten off by Moby Dick./ That's why the whalebone peg." Glass's splendid spreads soften the story's brutish aspects, which remain grim in Kimmel's retelling: one attempt to kill Moby Dick drowns a seaman, and the next drowns Captain Ahab and the rest of the crew all but Ishmael ("I heard the sighs and groans/ of all my friends and shipmates/ going down to Davy Jones"). Glass bathes everything in brilliant sunshine, painting the churning sea with aquas and greens and giving the white whale a sense of enormous bulk and strength. With their red noses and lumpy bodies, the seamen appear ridiculous in comparison to the majestic animal, giving weight to Ishmael's concluding comment: "Respect all creatures, great and small, and leave the whales alone!" Parents should vet before reading aloud to sensitive children; for the stout of heart, it's a fine introduction to the story. Ages 4 6.