With its stunning watercolour illustrations, Ida and the whale will take you on a journey into a dreamy world of a child’s imagination.
 Ida is a quiet and curious child. She often sits outside her birch tree house and wonders if there is anything beyond the sun, the moon and the stars. One night she dreams of a giant flying whale that invites her to go on a special adventure. Ida and the whale talk about many things, some ordinary, some special, and quickly become very good friends who are so comfortable with each other that they are not afraid ‘to share a silence’. After a violent storm, they get separated for a brief moment and Ida is engulfed in her loneliness (the illustrations render her emotions so beautifully, to the point of making the reader feel her despair). The whale comes back with a reassuring message of always being there for her.
Some readers might find the story a bit on the short side and not entirely logical, but, if you bear in mind that this is a dream, Ida’s journey becomes easier to understand.’ Sometimes you can only understand others if you stand on your head yourself’. 
I think this is not a read aloud but more of a read-along-with-me book, as the child needs to see the pictures which make the book so special.
Thank you NetGalley and North South Books for the ARC provided in exchange for an honest opinion.

This is one of those children's stories where the adults might not really get it but the children hearing (or reading) it feel like it's come from their own minds. The watercolour backgrounds and unique illustrations complement the gorgeous writing of Rebecca Gugger so well. From storms to growing to loneliness, Ida and the Whale is a special little book that I could see becoming a favourite for any child whose imagination leaves them feeling inspired and yet alone at the same time. 
I was a child like this. I imagined all these wondrous things and then was always disappointed that the real world wasn't as interesting as I'd hoped. However at some point I started to learn about how plants breathe or planets orbit or eggs hatch babies and suddenly I'd be reminded that the world is a special place. I feel like Ida and the Whale has captured some of that magic, both real and imaginary that many children have. This is a wondrous book that any child is likely to connect with on some level. Although the Discworld fan in me kind of wishes the whale was a turtle. 
The writing is gorgeous in this children's book but my favourite line is: 
"Sometimes you can only understand others if you stand on your head yourself."

This is a STUNNING picture book that tells a tale of an adventurous girl and a whale. The illustrations are delightful and full of incredible detail, and the story is well-written and imaginative. 

*I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Ida and the Whale by Rebecca Gugger is a beautifully illustrated picture book about a child’s dream. The soft colors with just the right amount of pop added to them captivated the children and were quite stunning.


The story itself Ida and the Whale were not as captivating as we hoped. Ida and the Whale has a wonderful premise, but unfortunately, the execution was not great. The story itself left us wanting more, but not in a good way. The plot was not as developed as I wanted, which left the children with a lot of questions.

Rebecca Guggar has written an adorable, whimsical children’s book about a little girl who lives in a tree, and explores the extraordinary world beyond the stars on the back of a huge whale. My imaginative 6 year old absolutely loved this book and the delightful illustrations accompanying it!

A dream come to life via the pages of this book – that is what it felt like as I read this book. Simon Röthlisberger’s illustrations wow with their whimsy and are definitely the star of this book.

The story itself – as I mentioned, is dream-like, complete with narratives that seem to move randomly from one to the other and you wonder if you missed something, and you realize it is just a dream! You know, like a movie where the scene suddenly cuts to something else and you rewind back to a moment ago (if you happen to watch it somewhere where you can do that).

Since this is a book, I flip back a page to check if I missed a page but am fine. Once I decided to read it with the dream assumption, I totally enjoyed it.

And at the risk of repeating myself, the water-color illustrations that take your imagination on a wonderful journey, made it more enjoyable. I also loved how the text itself is printed on the pages, with different fonts and in unique ways to be more in line with the words being said.

In Summary:
If you love flights of fancy and whimsical illustrations, then this book is for you! Granted, this is not a book that works well for a read-aloud, but it does wonders to your imagination..

Rating: B
Reading Level: 5 – 9 years
Reread Level: 3/5 (4.5 for just the illustrations)

Disclaimer: Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital review copy of the book above. All opinions are my own. I was not compensated in any other way by the publishers or others for this review.

Read this to my niece, and she loved it! She said the artwork was amazing! She gave 5 stars! Thank you netgalley for the free arc in exchange for an honest review!

What a gorgeous little book! The illustrations are particularly interesting, I love the watercolour! The story is quite surreal (as are many children's books), but it carries messages that could be enjoyed by adult readers as well. It reminded a little bit of The Little Prince in this aspect.

I've been looking forward to cracking this one open and taking a peek. Sadly, it didn't quite live up to my expectations.

The illustrations are beautiful. There's so much to look at! Ida, with her bright red hair and yellow boots, is cute, and the whale certainly is a presence. The pictures are really atmospheric, and help transport the reader along with Ida on her adventure.

Unfortunately, the story and writing are what let this one down. The plot is thin, and it all seems a bit too philosophical for a children's book. What is the point of this journey? Sure, Ida gets to find out what's beyond the sun, moon, and stars, but it's really just her imagination. I don't know if she really required a flying whale's visit to come to that conclusion.

The writing also seems a bit rough to me. Lots of it is clumped together; dialogue between Ida and her friend will be combined into one paragraph, making it kind awkward. I'm not sure how much of this is due to the fact that the book has been translated into English, but I still think it could've used some tweaking, just to neaten things up and make it flow a little better.

This book's strength is its pictures. The story needs to be stronger to be a good vehicle for the beautiful illustrations. I'd love to be able to rate this one higher, but I just can't. Check it out for the aesthetic, but don't expect much in the way of a good story.

"Ida and the Whale" is an imaginative children's book with fascinating illustrations, however this book was lacking something for me. I found some of the illustrations to be quite stunning while others were random and a bit confusing. This book is based on what seems to be a child's dream, which is a really sweet and interesting idea, however I found the bulk of the story/text of "Ida and the Whale" to be unclear and incomplete. I believe this book would be most enjoyed as a bedtime story for very young children who would likely appreciate the pictures and the sound of the reader's voice.

Beautiful illustrations. We follow Ida on her amazing journey with a flying whale. The book takes you on a fun adventure and it's easy to get lost as we see the world through Ida's eyes. Highly recommend!

Thank you to NorthSouth Books and NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

One night Ida is whisked away by a flying whale, off to see what’s beyond the moon and the stars. This imaginative picture book was such a pleasure to read! If you love whales like I do, you will love their magical journey. Such creative illustrations and artwork. I was impressed with the world they created. 
The story starts with...
“There was once a little girl named Ida, who lived in a birch tree. She had yellow rubber boots and red hair.”
CUTE!❤️
I am so glad I found this book! Thank you to North South Books and NetGalley for this ARC, my opinions are my own. 
This was featured on my blog January 3, 2019.
www.colecampfireblog.com
LanaLCole@yahoo.com

An adorable little children's book with a great story. We really enjoyed it. My kids really loved it.

Ida and the Whale is full of wonder at the natural world-- it gives you both something nice to look at and something to think about on their journey through natural forces. Gorgeous typography incorporates itself into pictures and drips into the pages.

I was drawn to this book by the lovely illustrations especially of the whale. They did not disappoint as the detailed and lovely soft pictures make this book enjoyable to look at. Sadly, the story did not hold up. A young girl lives in a tree and goes on a metaphorical adventure with the whale. The story is unlikely to entertain a child as it is mostly unoriginal advice and sayings. However, the illustrations of the whale may be charming enough to overcome this for some.

Ida is alarmingly keen to go gallivanting about with a whale she's never met, but it works out all right for her in the end. Now she has a new whale friend and readers have had the chance to enjoy a strange, but lovely, adventure.

The vibrant illustrations steal the show. Reading the story, it was hard to turn off my teacher brain. The first half was wonderful. I found myself thinking what questions I would ask my students and how they might respond, but I was left wanting more at the end. There’s something sweet about the sentiment of friendship and being okay with changing, but I was left wishing for a more thoroughly written plot point for Ida and her new friend, the whale.

A beautifully illustrated story about going through the world with open eyes and finding unexpected wonder and beauty. This books takes you on a sweet adventure and with every turning page I was looking forward to discover more.

I was drawn to this cover and immediately had to read it. I was not disappointed. The illustrations are gorgeous and whimsical. I adore that the words are just as animated and go with everything that's happening on the page. It's such an imaginative story with a girl and a whale going on an adventure through space and time. I can easily see children loving this story and parents having fun reading it to them. It's definitely one that belongs in ones personal children's book collection.

Ohh, this was beautiful. The colors, the drawings, the story. Everything was perfect. This book shows the power of imagination. When something is so pure and Joyful there's not so much to say. Just read it.