The heart of a whale

Watercolor illustration of a whale with a small heart-shapedmark on its fin, surrounded by colorful coral and fish, with the title 'The Heart of a Whale' by Anna Pignataro, and an award badge in the top right corner.

Whale’s beautiful song winds its way through the ocean, reaching the farthest of faraways. His song is one of happiness and hope, magic and wonder–and Whale’s fellow sea creatures are calmed, cheered, and lulled by it. But though Whale sings his tender song day after day, night after night, Whale wonders why he has no song to fill his empty heart. So when he lets out a mournful sigh, the ocean carries it like a wish through its fathoms, bringing it to just the right place.



Filled with stunning art and poetic language, this poignant story reminds us that being kind and helping a friend in need is sometimes the most beautiful thing of all.

WINNER — International Book Awards Children’s Picture Book Hardback 2020
Amazon Best Book Pick, January 2020
The Kirkus Star 2019

PRAISE FOR THE HEART OF A WHALE

“A picture book that touches on the wistfulness of solitude and the joy of finding a companion” The Wall Street Journal

“Lyrical text…dreamlike…A sweet cetacean story” Kirkus Review, “STARRED REVIEW”

“This visually stunning story is as beautiful to see as it is to read” SLJ, ”STARRED REVIEW”

“This is a quiet, gentle love story that will appeal to youngsters” Booklist

“The text is lyrical and imagistic…the illustrations evince an undulating dreaminess. This is a calming and peaceful bedtime read aloud” BCCB

The Heart of a Whale, written and illustrated by Anna Pignataro. Published in Australia by Scholastic Press, and in the US by Philomel Books/ Penguin Random House 2018

Available to buy online and in bookstores.

Watercolor illustration of a whale swimming above the ocean, with colorful coral and sea plants in the foreground. Text on the left says, "Whale's song was so beautiful it could reach the furthest of faraways." Text on the right reads, "It sang of happiness and hope, magic and wonder, always and everywhere."
Watercolor illustration of ocean flowers with various coral and plant-like structures in pastel colors, creating an abstract underwater scene. In the bottom right corner, there is text that reads, 'An orchestra for a ballet of ocean flowers.'
Watercolor illustration of a whale with a school of colorful jellyfish swimming nearby. The text in the upper right says, 'A lullaby for a herd of newborn seahorses.'
Illustration of undersea scene with whale and various marine plants and creatures, with a poem about whales.
Watercolor illustration of a curled-up baby whale sleeping.
Watercolor illustration of an underwater scene with various colorful coral, jellyfish, fish, and sea plants. There is a faint text on the left that reads: 'Past seabeds, through fathoms, over dreaming turtles and forgotten treasure...'.