The Whale Tells His Side of the Story: Hey God, I've Got Some Guy Named Jonah in My Stomach and I Think I'm Gonna Throw Up!
A classic Bible story retold from the whale’s perspective depicts its divine encounter as parallel to that of Jonah. A fresh, contemporary attitude infuses the narrative voice: upon hearing God’s instructions to swallow a human, the whale responds, “A human? But they live on land. Land creatures taste like dirt. Yeech....” The whale swims as far from God as he can, but his escape proves as unsuccessful as Jonah’s; soon Dr. Crab, with tongue depressor and mirror, diagnoses the whale’s stomachache: “You swallowed some guy.” Jones, a graphic designer, offers full-bleed cartoons with flattened perspectives, bold outlines, marine colors, and characters with big round eyes. Schmidt, writer for The American Bible Challenge, stays true to the original story while also giving voice to God’s relationship with all creation, as when God explains Jonah’s mission of hope and tells the whale, “You are a part of that plan.” This playful, feisty interpretation retains the tale’s key theological themes of mission, disobedience, prayer, and repentance. A “Parent Connection” endpage provides guidance for discussion. Ages 4–8.