How the Whale Became and Other Stories

Ted Hughes’ classic text is accompanied by the beautiful illustrations of Jackie Morris to bring a lyrical and witty version of the creation myths to young readers.

Long ago when the world was brand new, before animals or birds, the sun rose into the sky and brought the first day. To begin with, all the creatures were pretty much alike – very different from what they are now. Those that wanted to be lions practised being lions. But there were other creatures – including the whale, the elephant, the cat and the donkey – that came about in different ways.

“Ted Hughes’ explanations of the development of animals and their particular characteristics are creative, funny and sometimes sad: they are stories he read to his own children and they are a joy to read aloud still…Jackie Morris’ splendid illustrations really do capture the magical quality of the stories.” The Ultimate First Book Guide.