Have a Whale of a Time with Candlewick

By Kat La Mantia | August 25 2025 | Children'sGeneralAllBlog

It’s peak summer season, and everyone is trying to beat the heat. What’s a better way to cool off than by going out on the open seas for a whale watch? There’s just something special about leaving land behind, smelling the salt in the air, and scanning the waves for a chance to see a whale breach.

For those unable to experience whale watching this summer, or wanting to continue reliving the moment, Candlewick has several books that are a whale of a time to read!

In the World of Whales by Michelle Cusolito has received six starred reviews. This 52-page story follows Belgian freediver Fred Buyle and his diving partner Kurt Amsler on a dive where they get closer than anyone could ever dream of to a sperm whale birth. Included within this title is an anatomical drawing of a sperm whale along with fun facts about whales and free diving.

Need more whales? We’ve got you covered with Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall, which received the Robert F. Sibert Medal for the most distinguished informational book for children published in 2024.

And if your little ones are too young to go out on a whale watch, they can still enjoy the fun of whales through our board books Whale by Maggie Li and Hello, Whale! by Sam Boughton. Check out our favorite whale titles below—you’ll be breaching for more!

Explore More Whale Books for Kids

9780823453429
Plunge deep into the awe-inspiring true story of a freediver’s encounter with a newborn sperm whale and its family.
$18.99 US
Jun 17, 2025
9-1/2 x 10
Hardcover
52 Pages
Neal Porter Books
Age 4-8 years

The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall
9780823452286
Winner of the Robert F. Sibert Medal Follow a blue whale’s enormous body to the bottom of the ocean, where it sets the stage for a bustling new ecosystem to flourish.
$18.99 US
Jun 04, 2024
11 x 9
Hardcover
48 Pages
Neal Porter Books
Age 4-8 years

9781536235050
Meet Whale, a young whale calf who loves to swim. Follow along as Whale grows into the largest creature in the ocean in this beautifully illustrated board book for the very young.Starting off as a baby close to its mother, Whale charts an incredible journey, traveling to colder waters to find plenty of krill to eat, growing with every swish of its tail. In this fun, informative board book, Whale learns the right time to surface for air, how to sing to other whales across the ocean, and when to return to warmer waters. A die-cut throughout the book emphasizes how nature is full of changes—and before long, it’s time to start the cycle all over again.
$9.99 US
Mar 19, 2024
7-1/16 x 7-1/16
Board Book
26 Pages
Templar
Age 2-5 years

9781536215410
Say hello to all your favorite ocean animals in this bright and friendly nonfiction novelty title.Little ones will love greeting a group of friendly undersea animals in this delightful lift-the-flap book. Sam Boughton’s vibrant illustrations bring facts to life with deft humor and memorable comparisons. With big flaps to lift and a fantastic double gatefold on the final spread, this book is sure to please young marine explorers!
$14.99 US
Oct 06, 2020
8-1/4 x 8-1/4
Board Book
16 Pages
Templar
Age 2-5 years

9781536238846
For daydreamers and the young at heart, this stunningly illustrated journey through a star-encrusted sky captures the beauty of our world—and of bonds that cannot be broken by any kind of distance. Nana speaks of astronomy often, telling fantastical tales from many moons ago, tales her granddaughter wonders at. Tonight, with hot chocolate and constellations for company, they wait. Moonbeams bounce off the crashing waves, and, at last, Nana’s old friend appears in the sky: the Night Whale, swimming among the stars. Nana and the child climb onto the Night Whale’s back, and she whisks them off—over twinkling cities, through the shimmering colors of the northern lights, and back again. But this is only the beginning of the journey for Nana. As she embraces her grandchild, she promises she will always be out there. Even when Nana and the Night Whale soar back toward the ether, leaving the child behind, she can still feel her grandmother’s love and hear the Night Whale whispering, “Anything is possible.” Debut author Bryher Mackenzie and illustrator Gillan Eilidh O’Mara craft a magical voyage through the heavens that reassures young readers that goodbye is not the end.
$18.99 US
Oct 01, 2024
9-1/4 x 10-1/4
Hardcover
32 Pages
Candlewick
Age 3-7 years

9781682633731
A Sri Lankan fisherboy is swept up in a thrilling seafaring adventure, complete with kidnapping, missing treasure, and a huge blue whale! From the author of The Girl Who Stole an Elephant.Razi, a local fisherboy, is watching turtle eggs hatch when he sees a boat bobbing into view. With a chill, he notices a small, still hand hanging over the side.Inside is Zheng, who's escaped a shipwreck and is full of tales of mutiny, sea monsters, and hidden riches. But the villains who are after Zheng are soon after Razi and his sister, Shifa, too. And so begins an exhilarating escapade in the shadow of the biggest sea monster of them all.Author Nizrana Farook has crafted another briskly paced, action-packed quest that swells with empathetic heroes, peril on the open sea, and a great beast lurking beneath. Set against a vibrant landscape inspired by Sri Lanka, this delightful caper will thrill young fans of adventure and fantasy.
$16.99 US
Feb 01, 2022
6 x 8
Hardcover
256 Pages
Peachtree
Age 8-12 years

Animal Life Spans from the Mayfly to the Immortal Jellyfish
9781536229752
We are all on Earth but for a fleeting moment, yet no two lives are the same. From the delicate mayfly, which lives for just a few precious hours, to the death-defying immortal jellyfish, this book about animal life cycles is a celebration of creatures big and small.Beautifully written by best-selling children's author Lily Murray, this book explores life spans across the animal kingdom, beginning with the very shortest and ending with the longest. Learn about the lives of the incredible monarch butterfly, the mysterious axolotl, the grand Galápagos tortoise, and many more in this uplifting and eye-opening book. Discover creatures who are born within a day of their mothers and others who stay infantile for almost one hundred years. Stunning illustrations by highly commended artist Jesse Hodgson perfectly capture each animal in their natural habitat, making this both an ideal gift book as well as an educational read.
$22.99 US
Mar 07, 2023
9-1/4 x 11-13/16
Hardcover
64 Pages
Big Picture Press
Age 6-9 years