“This rollicking yarn with its splendid art will serve as a stand-alone introduction.” —School Library Journal
“Kimmel make[s] this classic accessible to young readers.” —Publishers Weekly
“Kimmel's verse touches on all the major plot points, from Ahab pinning the gold doubloon to the mast to the final disastrous encounter…” —Booklist
“Herman Melville's legendary and lengthy tome is beautifully encapsulated in a jaunty rhyme sprinkled with historical and nautical terms. An author's note gives further information about the story in addition to Melville's own story. There is also a glossary for some of the more unusual words. The illustrations lavishly fill each spread, evoking thoughts of the monstrous beast while the cross-hatching and grain echo the creature's skin, and the choppy movement of the waves even when the action is taking place on dry land. This is a wonderful, short-attention-span-friendly addition to any library.” —Children's Literature
“Kimmel's rhymes scan with clarity from the start, and he has a genius for synthesizing the loquacious storyline down to its plot essentials. …The high point of the title turns out to be Glass' art. His oil-and-pencil illustrations create a white whale hide interlaced with the scars of countless harpooners, his sheer girth a towering mountain of angry flesh. Readers will have little difficulty understanding the awe inspired by such a creature. For a bare-bones retelling of the original's plot, this has no equal.” —Kirkus Reviews