Hello, and welcome to my blog, Nuna, Song of the Whale. This children's
book project came out of a trip I took to Hawaii several years ago. I
had just watched the movie “Whalerider” and was eager to see a whale for
the first time in my life. I fell in love with the humpbacks and their
amazing song while on a whale-watching cruise.
With my sketchbook in hand, I drew these incredible creatures as they
breached and exhibited their amazing feats. It changed my life,
listening to and watching those whales.
Out of this came Song of Nuna, the Whale,
a book that tells the story of a young girl and her love for Nuna, a
humpback whale she can communicate with through whalesongs. As this
girl, named Sarda, is the only one in her community that can understand
the whale's song, she becomes vital in repairing the broken ties between
humans and whales, as the story unfolds. Inspired by mythical and
biblical themes and stories, Song of Nuna contains historical
and cultural references, and an alphabet I created to symbolize the
whalesong. It is accompanied by my illustrations done in rich
watercolors and pen & ink.
This blog features artwork and
potential layouts for the book. I am very interested in sharing this
story with audiences of all ages and backgrounds in traditional and
e-book forms.
