[.ca] Peg and the whale (ISBN 0002254972)

Amazon.ca:
Kenneth Oppel, author of the wildly popular and award-winning young adult novels Silverwing and Sunwing, takes to the seven seas in this playful picture book for younger readers. Born and bred on her folks' fishing boat, 7-year-old Peg has just plain grown weary of chores. She's a feisty, high-spirited lass who yearns to find herself a real adventure, so she signs on to the crew of a whaling ship. When she hooks an enormous sperm whale, red-headed Peg ties herself to the mast for a wild "Nantucket Sleigh Ride," but the jealous first mate cuts the rope holding her to the mast and she finds herself swallowed whole. Does that scare Peg? Certainly not. She sets up house in the whale's stomach, building a driftwood ladder to his blowhole to keep a lookout for home. And, once home, she begins making plans for her next adventure. Terry Widener's robust acrylic illustrations perfectly match Oppel's garrulously sprawling sea saga. This is a rollicking tale that is sure to delight young readers whose spirits run as high as Peg's. (Ages 4 to 8) --Jeffrey Canton

Energetic and fun:
This engaging, infectious tall tale is lots of fun. It's a rollicking story about a girl who sets out to be the world's best fisherman and catch a whale. Undeterred by the fact that it's a mammal, she hooks one with her fishing rod, and ends up taken for a ride. She makes herself at home in the whale's belly, keeps warm in the Arctic by singing sea shanties, and eventually steers the whale home. The tale's outrageous tone never falters and Peg is so brash and insistent that she's believable, despite the outlandishness of her story.