‘Whales’ Warning by Annabel
Many of you have encouraged your friends and family to help and get involved and sometimes motivation comes from a child who is infectiously passionate about whales and dolphins. Ten-year-old Annabel is fascinated by the ocean and wants to help protect it and all the creatures that live there. When she talked to her mum and aunt about an idea she had for a story about whales and climate change, they encouraged her to write it and illustrate it too. The result is that young Annabel is now a published author and her family are donating all money from sales of her book, Whales’ Warning, to support our work!
Annabel’s story is about a young humpback whale called Sakari who swims with her grandpa on migration from their Arctic feeding grounds to their tropical breeding grounds. On their journey the whales encounter melting ice caps, severe storms, raging forest fires, rafts of plastic pollution, and an entangled turtle called Shellington.
Sakari is surprised to discover she has such an important role to play in keeping the ocean healthy and reducing carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. Grandpa explains that whale poo is the preferred food of phytoplankton (microscopic oceanic plants) which absorb phenomenal amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere every year – the same as 148 billion trees. Whales are Climate Giants.
Annabel’s paintings in the book are stunning and she makes an extraordinarily good case for humans to sit up and listen to the whales’ warning and reduce carbon emissions now to secure a future for all life on Earth.
If you are feeling inspired to be a young whale warrior or dolphin defender at home, WDC has plenty of challenge awards and fundraising ideas such as Donate Your Birthday (opting for donations to WDC in lieu of party presents), plenty of sponsorship ideas including the Big Splash Swim, beach and urban litter picks and craft activities.
Look out for WDC the competition in the spring edition of Splash! for your chance to win a copy of ‘Whales’ Warning.
