The Leaky Whale

Description

The Leaky Whale tells the delightful story of a whale named Earl who, by helping a crew of friendly seamen in a terrible storm, was helped by them in return. This long out-of-print classic was originally published in 1946. The charming and colorful watercolor illustrations were created by Charles Darby, who died in England returning from a World War II mission in 1944. Darby’s close friend Jack Johnson, and his wife Laura Johnson, were determined to share the illustrations with young readers and so, wrote the story and arranged for the book’s publication. Darby and Johnson were both members of the legendary Beachcombers artists club in Provincetown, Massachusetts. When the New York Times reviewed the book in 1946, its reviewer wrote: “When this book was read to ten four-year-olds, they wanted it ‘again’ and at the end of that reading, ‘again.'” Return of a classic First published by Houghton Mifflin in 1946, “The Leaky Whale,” a picture book with roots in Provincetown, is back in print, thanks to Applewood Books in Carlisle. The whimsical watercolor illustrations are by Charles Darby, who was a member of the Beachcombers artists club in Provincetown. During World War II, Darby was a radio operator with the 77th Troop Carrier Squadron. Returning from a supply mission in the fall of 1944, his plane crashed in England and the crew was killed instantly. Inspired by Darby’s paintings, his friends Laura and Jack Johnson wrote a children’s book. And what a tale it is. A whale named Earl gets pierced by his swordfish friend Sam. A storm blows in, pots and pans fly about, the cook’s shirt is ripped off his chest. Then, lo and behold, the sperm oil leaking from Earl calms the waters. The ship’s crew, in gratitude, patches up Earl.–Jan Gardner “The Boston Globe”

Additional information