I Lived Inside a Whale — Xin Li

For fans of Oliver Jeffers, this stunningly illustrated, whimsical picture book is about finding your own voice and learning how to connect with others through storytelling. A quiet child in a boisterous family, Emma Wen dreams of a world that is peaceful and silent. When she reads about the blue whale – with a heart so big her father could stand in it – she has an idea.  She fashions a boat out of household objects and sails from her bedroom into the mouth of a whale, where she settles in happily.  Emma has finally found her peace and quiet.  That is until another child, Owen Tang, arrives inside the whale and is loud, noisy and “everything she is running away from”.  Emma and Owen’s unlikely friendship blossoms inside the microcosm of the whale in a beautifully told story of friendship and finding your own voice in a world that is “filled with too much of everything, everywhere.” With lush, irresistible illustrations and its balance of sensitivity and adventure, Xin Li's author/illustrator debut is an ode to storytelling and imagination and displays her keen understanding of the emotional world of children.