This picture book story about whales is a tale of the imagination and beyond. Lilly’s grandmother tells her stories about whales singing in the sea. Lilly longs to hear them. The illustratons are magical with close-ups of the grandmother and Lilly. The whale is shown in all its vastness across double page spreads with a white border. The grandmother extols the wonder of the whales in their singing, their movement, and the need to bring them a gift to make contact with them. The grandfather dismisses this talk as nonsense saying whales are for eating and for the oil they produce. One aerial perspective by the illustrator shows the cat on the chair, Lilly on her grandmother's lap and the grandfather’s retreating leg as he exits the room.

Lilly's night-time visits to the whales are enchanting. Through the use of colour, shade and light create a wonderful atmosphere of night and of seascapes. The beautifully rendered cover captures the whales jumping in a moonlit ocean of sepia and cream colours. In this picture book the writer and illustrator together have created a piece of magic.

Red Fox 1993 (originally published 1990)