Gigantic: The Small Whale with a Big Heart

**Lisa Bueno** (0:00)
Okay, our friends, so today we are reading a book.

**Lisa Bueno** (0:06)
It is called Gigantic, and the subtitle is The Small Whale with a Big Heart. The story was written by Rob Bedolf, and it is read today by Mommy and...

**Philip** (0:24)
Philip.

**Lisa Bueno** (0:25)
Philip and Mommy.
And I want to go on record for saying, it's not the size of the whale that matters. It's the size of the whale's heart.

**Lisa Bueno** (0:39)
Are you ready? Okay.

**Lisa Bueno** (0:41)
A mulberry sky full of flashes and rumbles, an ocean alive as it rises and tumbles. Now, what color is mulberry?

**SPEAKER_4** (0:59)
Yeah.

**Lisa Bueno** (1:00)
And in the picture, we can see what kind of color, what sort of sky do you think it is if it's purple?

**SPEAKER_4** (1:09)
Dark.

**Lisa Bueno** (1:10)
Yeah, it's kind of storm cloudy.

**SPEAKER_6** (1:12)
Yeah.

**Lisa Bueno** (1:12)
And so this ocean is having a big storm.
Okay. The sky is dark and purple and full of lightning, and the ocean is full of waves.
And there, neath the waves of a stormy Atlantic, there lives a blue whale and his name is Gigantic.

**SPEAKER_6** (1:32)
This guy is unusual.

**Lisa Bueno** (1:33)
He's different.

**SPEAKER_6** (1:34)
He's odd. The smallest blue whale in the whole of the pod.

**Lisa Bueno** (1:45)
Well, he's tiny, huh?

**Lisa Bueno** (1:47)
Even though his name is Gigantic, he's not very big. His parents, they love him, but hope all the same that one day their son will grow into his name.

**SPEAKER_7** (1:58)
Hey, tiny.

**Lisa Bueno** (2:01)
Tom's Titan.

**SPEAKER_7** (2:03)
If I were that small, I'm not sure I'd feel like a whale at all.

**Lisa Bueno** (2:10)
And Titan, we can see, is a very large whale, right?

**SPEAKER_7** (2:15)
In fact, little brother, I think you'd be wise to make friends with Myrtle. She's much more your size.

**Lisa Bueno** (2:25)
And Myrtle, as we can see, is a...
Yeah, I take it. He swims to the turtle and smiles a shy smile. Hello there, she says.

**SPEAKER_7** (2:35)
Let's hang out for a while.

**Lisa Bueno** (2:38)
So they leap, and they dive, and they dance, and they play big fun for small friends in the mouth of the bay.
Meanwhile, plumes of seaweed concealing their bulk, it's Titan with buddies Colossus and Hulk. Now, those are all big guy names, right? Just look at those pib squeaks, he says with a frown.

**SPEAKER_7** (3:07)
Let's get a bit closer, see what's going down.

**Lisa Bueno** (3:11)
Oh, wow, says Colossus, a smile on her chops.

**SPEAKER_5** (3:17)
Gigantic, so good at those flippy flops.

**SPEAKER_7** (3:22)
Your brother, says Hulk, is a talent for sure. I've not seen a whale do a tailspin before.

**SPEAKER_5** (3:31)
So in the pictures, are they all clumped in the chicken?

**SPEAKER_7** (3:33)
Yeah.

**Lisa Bueno** (3:34)
In the pictures, we can see that Gigantic is doing some really cool underwater tricks with Myrtle, the turtle. They're having a fabulous time.
You thought that Titanic was trying to be mean?

**Philip** (3:54)
Too gigantic.

**Lisa Bueno** (3:56)
Too gigantic?

**SPEAKER_6** (3:57)
And how come his buddies are all being nice to him?

**Lisa Bueno** (4:00)
Well, hold on and see.

**SPEAKER_6** (4:03)
Nonsense, says Titan.

**SPEAKER_7** (4:06)
There can't be much to it. How hard can it be if gigantic can do it? I'll show those two shrimps how a real whale can swim, and I'll do it bigger and better than him.

**Lisa Bueno** (4:23)
Wait, says Colossus.

**SPEAKER_5** (4:26)
Stay right where you are.

**SPEAKER_4** (4:28)
The sea and the bay is too shallow by far.

**Lisa Bueno** (4:36)
Yes, you see, here's the problem, right? Gigantic is just the right size to do those wonderful tricks because the water that they're in is not very deep. Ignoring his friends, the determined young whale sets off through the blue with the swish of his tail.
Gigantic looks up as a shadow is cast. Be careful, he warns as his brother glides past. Watch this, Titan says with a whopping wide grin. He rotates his tail, but is grounded mid spin.

**Lisa Bueno** (5:20)
Ha ha, take that. Well, now here's my question.

**Lisa Bueno** (5:24)
We can see he has gotten himself halfway up out of the land and onto the shore. It was very shallow where he was trying to do this impressive spin. Now, you could say ha ha, take that, because now he is going to be suffering. But would that be the kind thing to do?
Or would there be a kinder response?

**Lisa Bueno** (5:51)
Good point.

**Lisa Bueno** (5:52)
Yeah. Maybe we could do something to help him and be like, oh no.