Dario and the Whale

December 21, 2015
Inspired by an encounter with a right whale on a Cape Cod beach, first-time author Malone offers a quiet story about isolation and friendship. Each spring, “Dario and his mother move to the seashore.” While the story doesn’t get into specifics, details like Dario’s green-and-yellow jacket and Portuguese-inflected speech suggest that his mother, a cook, is a migrant worker from Brazil. Dario has trouble befriending other children, and Malone’s clipped sentences shift between Dario’s story and that of a right whale that has made a similar seasonal journey. Malone’s parallel structure and Masseva’s naif paintings are equally attentive to the actions of both whale and boy (“When Dario whistles, the whale spouts. Dario waves, the whale breaches”). The fleeting nature of this relationship soon makes itself known (“They migrate.... They leave at the end of May,” a girl tells Dario), but the magic of the encounter, the hope of a future meeting, and the possibility of friendship with the girl conclude the story on an uplifting note. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Clelia Gore, Martin Literary Management. Illustrator’s agency: The Organisation.

February 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 2-Every spring, Dario and his mom move from Brazil to the beach at Cape Cod so that his mom can work. Dario is having a hard time making friends, not quite knowing how to join in the sandy fun with the other children. He is thrilled to see a young whale one day, swimming off of the coastline. The whale is also very curious about the boy. An immediate bond is formed, and the two visit daily, communicating with whistles, spouts, waves, and breaches. One day, Dario gets the sniffles and his mom orders him to bed until he is well. He is worried that his whale will have migrated before he gets to see him again, but Dario gets his chance to say goodbye. Set in sunny Cape Cod, this bright and colorful picture book is sure to catch the eye of its readers. The deep blues, greens, and yellows of the land and sea perfectly capture the warmth and happiness of the beach in springtime. The text is interesting but spare. One will gather many of the finer details of the story from the summary provided on the cover flap. Dario often speaks Portuguese, and readers will be introduced to words and phrases in the language. At the end of the story, Malone tells of her real-life encounter with a baby right whale. She also provides a wealth of information about these whales. VERDICT This book will spark rich conversation on a broad range of topics.-Amy Shepherd, St. Anne's Episcopal School, Middleton, DE

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2016
Who wouldn't want to be friends with a whale? Every spring Dario travels with his mother to Cape Cod from their home in Brazil. Every spring a right whale migrates to the same location. She brings her calf to a bay near the restaurant where Dario's mother cooks. In a charming turn of events, the author parallels Dario's experiences with the cetaceans'. They gravitate here yearly--for Dario's mother's employment, for the whales' spring migration. When Dario attempts to make new friends, his limited English make this hard; the whale alienates potential pals in the sea, either unintentionally or by design. And so the stage is set for these two to become fast friends. Once they've noticed each other, they "visit" and communicate for hours at the beach daily; Dario's whistles elicit V-shaped spouts; the boy's waves result in spectacular breaching displays. When Dario learns that the whales must soon leave, he's sad, but, with a giant slap of a notched tail, his new friend "assures" him of return the following year. This delightful story is based on the author's actual experience on Cape Cod. The illustrations are delicately lovely, the simple backgrounds allowing readers to focus on the action and expressive main characters. A helpful note about right whales concludes the book. A heartwarming paean to long walks along the beach. (Picture book. 5-8)

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