International Fiction
Jessaloup's Song
Jessaloup's Song explores teenage love amidst an impending natural calamity while celebrating the ties that bind all living creatures. In this adventure, Velmans turns the tables on a classic theme by portraying a young humpback whale who sets out to save the human race from certain disaster. Isabel, the young girl who had once lived amongst a pod of whales, is reunited with her friend Jessaloup, who this time is transformed from a whale into a human boy. The two face daunting challenges in convincing those living on land to seek protection from a destructive tsunami that is heading in their direction. To the delight of many young readers who despaired when Isabel and Jessaloup were separated at the end of the first story, Jessaloup's Song brings the two back together in a race against time. The spirit of adventure continues throughout a compelling and imaginative plot with a satisfying twist involving Isabel and her family, which reinforces the theme for all people be true to themselves and to one another.
In writing these original children's adventures, Hester Velmans draws upon her experience in research and journalism. She was motivated to create a world where her own young daughter could overcome many of the frustrations felt by those in their early teens by magically becoming one of the most powerful creatures on earth. Velman's research for these novels brought her together with leading scientists, who by their own admission revealed that much has yet to be learned about marine life and about whale species in particular. These gaps in current scientific knowledge highlight a very real need to encourage budding young minds to bring new insights into the mysterious lives of marine mammals. The wonder of life in the ocean allows the writer to let her imagination roam free while weaving the natural world into a wonderful fantasy that is certain to captivate young minds.
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