I feel so lucky to have been given the opportunity to read and review this very special book from Puffin. I read it through twice in one sitting as soon as it arrived.
When eight-year-old Cappy finds a whale outside of his window, he's equal parts surprised and delighted. Cappy has leukaemia and spends a lot of time in hospital. When he's at home, he's used to being told he's not allowed to do things like running or eating ice cream. But the rides the whale offers to give him through the sky have no limits or rules.
This beautiful book was originally published in Ukraine in 2015 and Puffin is publishing it in English for the first time. They are also donating £5,000 to the National Literacy Trust's campaign to support Ukrainian child refugees, alongside any profits they make on sales of this hardback.
Pylypchatina's illustrations are soft and sweet, in blues, greens and greys. I loved Cappy, who takes his name from the knitted blue cap he wears in hospital and has such a lovely way of interpreting the world around him. This is a wonderful story for building empathy and learning about living with leukaemia. It is touching and emotional, and I could see it working brilliantly in classrooms.