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.

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.

Ida and the Whale by Rebecca Gugger is a book I requested from NetGalley and the review is voluntary. The story is beautiful! The art is delightful and fresh! I got lost in it! The story was very good too but the art makes the book! Wow! A little girl living in talk trees sees a whale swimming by and they go on an adventure! Yep, you read that right!

Thanks to NorthSouth books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book and provide an honest review.

Initially, I was delighted while reading the story and looking at the gorgeous illustrations. I loved how the text on the page took different shapes and forms to help emphasize the point on that particular page. I think that demonstrates another aspect of creativity and a good way to illustrate the meaning of a word or phrase by making it visual. (I'm a visual learner so it's nice to see this.) Trying to read it from the perspective of my daughter, I think the book did a great job of capturing a small one's attention and keeping it. I liked the lessons it taught about taking in the beauty around you, that sometimes being quiet in another person's company is just as enjoyable as a conversation and that exploring your curiosities can be scary at times, but rewarding.

What left me feeling disappointed was that it wasn't long enough! I felt like Ida and the Whale were just hitting their stride on a great adventure and then it stopped. (Pretty abruptly in my opinion.)

Overall, my 18 month old daughter would love this, but I'm not sure what my nieces who are 4-8 would think. I can imagine them speeding through it and then moving on to the next thing. Not because of the subject matter lacking, but because the arc of the story seems to end abruptly. I do think this would make a nice addition to a child's library - I'm just not sure how long it could grow with them.

Watercolor!

You ever listen to a song and when it ends you're not 100% certain what the lyrics meant but you enjoyed it anyway. That's how I felt finishing this up, now it could very well be the ePub formatting doesn't lend much to the story; I might need to grab a paper copy. I didn't quite follow it.

I think kids will love the story though and that's the point.

I loved the swirling blues and inks in the watercolors illustrations, the whale was a delightful and their message about friendship and sharing the silence

This magical and beautifully illustrated picture book will sooth a child, bring up interesting questions, and act as a visual feast for both children and adults. Ida's life is already somewhat magical, but becomes even more so when a flying whale steals her away on a wonderful adventure.

This book is very beautiful. It will prompt children to think about what is beyond their own surroundings or think beyond what they know. It allows for interpretation by the reader. It seems fitting for very young children who will be intrigued by the illustrations and the idea of the story.

Interesting book about a girl and a flying whale and their adventures. Illustrations are wonderful.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC

STUNNING art!! The coloring is breathtaking. The story itself was okay. I wasn't that interested in Ida or the whale. However, I turned each page just to look at all of the images.

A beautiful story about a little girl who wants to know what lies behind the sun, the moon, and the stars. It's a book of imagination and discovery with beautiful illustrations.

*thank you to Netgalley and North South Books Inc for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review*

5 stars. 

WOW this was great! I loved the use of the colours and the details in the illustrations! At first you may not see but if you look close, expecually at that stormy sky, you can see just so much beautiful work went into that. The story was creative and I really loved reading it. It was a fun beautiful read. Expecually with that last message at the end aboit loneliness. Stunning. Would definitively recommend as a good bedtime story. Adults will appreciate this too.