Michael Moniz follows up his lively picture-book debut, 2011’s Wazzyjump, with the story of a small boy who lives on a tiny island in the middle of the sea.

The boy sets out in his fishing boat whenever possible to cast his line. While out in his boat one day, the boy hears a haunting cry. Upon investigation, he discovers a whale entangled in a net. The boy jumps into action, cutting the net and freeing the whale. Later, while fishing from the rocks during stormy weather, a giant fish snags the boy’s line and drags him out to sea, where he quickly grows exhausted. Just in time, the whale returns to save the day.

Though the book has only two characters (not including the fish), the story does not feel underpopulated and is appealingly simple. Moniz’s striking, elegant watercolour paintings are youthful without being unsophisticated and lend a fanciful quality to the tale, leaving the reader with the feeling of being transported to another time. The text’s layout cleverly mimics rolling waves as it gently crosses the double-page spreads.

The Boy and the Whale reads like a traditional fairy tale, and while the story is not particularly original, it does convey a strong message in a visually pleasing package.