A Whale Called Hope: a beautiful children’s book about blue whales and conservation
A Whale Called Hope is a gentle, contemplative children’s picture book about a real blue whale, illustrated by Laura Chamberlain in collaboration with the Natural History Museum, London. It introduces young readers to the awe-inspiring blue whale skeleton that hangs in Hintze Hall—one of the museum’s most iconic exhibits. Blending marine biology, environmental education, and poetic storytelling, Hope the Whale brings the moving story of a real whale to life.
Rather than following a conventional narrative, the book is structured as a poetic and meditative journey through time and space. Each spread offers a glimpse into the life of the whale, imagining her swimming through vast oceans, gliding beneath icebergs, and crossing paths with other marine life. Chamberlain’s sparse, lyrical text is accompanied by delightful illustrations that evoke both the scale and beauty of the underwater world. This invites slow reading and discussion, making the book an ideal springboard for child-led questions about the ocean, extinction, ecosystems, and environmental responsibility.
Hope the Whale: the true story behind the blue whale skeleton at the Natural History Museum
This picture book gains extra depth through its connection to a real specimen. Hope was a young female blue whale whose body washed ashore in Wexford, Ireland, in 1891. Her skeleton was acquired by the Natural History Museum in London and lay in storage for decades. In 2017, the museum reinstalled her—fully restored and suspended from the ceiling of Hintze Hall—replacing the much-loved plaster-cast dinosaur, Dippy the Diplodocus.
Crucially, her new name, Hope, is symbolic. As the museum explains, it reflects a belief in the power of scientific knowledge and public education to shape a more sustainable future. Blue whales were hunted to the brink of extinction in the 20th century but have made a slow and fragile recovery since receiving protected status. Hope’s story is, therefore, one of both loss and resilience—making her an especially poignant ambassador for conservation.
An educational picture book for cross-curricular exploration
Although Hope the Whale is accessible to children as young as three, its sophistication lies in its ability to operate on multiple levels. For early years readers, it’s a soothing, sensory book with strong links to rhythm and visual language. For older children (and adults), it offers opportunities to explore topics ranging from marine biology to museum curation to the ethics of conservation.
The absence of a conventional narrative structure makes this an ideal book for open-ended discussion. Children can be invited to speculate, interpret, and imagine. What might the whale have seen? How do museum curators know how to rebuild a skeleton? What would the world look like to a whale swimming under the ice?
Why Hope the Whale Matters
Hope the Whale is a quietly radical book. It challenges the notion that children’s books must be full of action and plot, offering instead a space for stillness, wonder, and environmental consciousness. It exemplifies how picture books can serve as entry points into larger conversations—not just about animals or oceans, but about loss, legacy, and the human responsibility to protect what remains.
At StoryBox, we chose to include Hope the Whale in our Big Blue Box because it embodies everything we believe children’s books can be: beautiful, meaningful, and deeply enriching. Paired with a Bumbu whale and calf, a blue play silk, and Kitpas crayons, this box invites open-ended storytelling, sensory play, and thoughtful reflection on our connection to the natural world. We hope it inspires children to slow down, ask questions, and see our planet—and its creatures as something to be cherished.