Whale, That Was Unexpected

Written by Casey Lyall & illustrated by Kathryn Durst

Hardcover

$18.99

$17.97

3 - 7

Reading age

Page count

Jun 30, 2026

Publication date

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What's This Book About

Publisher Summary

TWO STARRED REVIEWS! - A classic but contemporary tale for 3-to-7-year-olds featuring a hilariously grumpy seafarer and her trusty dog sidekick who get swallowed by a whale. For fans of Caldecott Honor books Bear Came Along and Leave Me Alone. Stoic seafarer Maude and her canine sidekick Claude head out to fish as they have done every day for many years. But this time, something unexpected happens. (Maude hates it when something unexpected happens.) They get swallowed by a whale. What does one do when one is swallowed by a whale? Throw a farewell party, I guess. (Maude loves a good party.) Hilarity ensues as more and more creatures get swallowed and Maude has to keep changing her party plans. (Maude does not love crowds.) Will Maude and the whale part ways, or is this the end? (Maude would prefer it if we could hurry this up.) Okay, okay. Read on to find out.

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The Creatives Behind the Book

Author

Casey Lyall

CASEY LYALL (5’4”, brown hair, blue eyes, no known aliases) is a middle-grade writer from Southwestern Ontario. She works at her local library where she runs a number of teen groups and waits for management to discover they’re actually paying her to have fun. When she’s not writing, Casey loves to bake, watch an “unhealthy” amount of movies and television, and of course, read. She’d consider adding detective work to the list if she could find a proper coat. You can find her on Twitter as @CKLyall.

Illustrator

Kathryn Durst

Kathryn Durst is the New York Times Best-Selling illustrator of Paul McCartney’s Hey Granddude. She is graduate of Sheridan Art College of Ontario and a rising star in the picture book world. Having interned with Pixar Animation Studios and illustrated for other publishers, this is her Penguin Young Readers debut.