Extract: Ben and the Whales

Ben and the Whales: The extraordinary journey

by Ingrid Mennen, with illustrations by Irene Berg (Human & Rousseau)

And then Grandpa died. Noticing that Ben finds it hard to say good bye, Dad takes Ben to the milkwood where Ben and Grandpa would often sit, and tells him a story:

"Long ago a whale-calf was born in their bay. Every day he frolicked and swam with his mother and an old humpback whale, but when the time came for the whales to travel back south, the old whale could not make the journey with the others. The whale calf had to say good bye too."

This gentle story on bereavement will strike a chord with both children and adults alike. 

You can buy the book on Kalahari.com... just click here.