Ellie and the Whale

Author Ching-Jen Jill Chang

Illustrator Nan-Jun Qiu

What do you have to work?” This is the book that answers the BIG question that every child would ask their working caretakers. Ellie, a quiet, little girl living in a fishi village, encountered a giant whale one day, and it asks her to get into its mouth The villagers didn’t like the idea, but after Ellie’s first step, they ended up having fun exploring different kinds of jobs and teamwork in the whale’s stomach. On one day, strangers came to the village, saying working is a waste of time. What would Ellie and the villagers do? This is a book that guides the readers to think about the nature of work- in addition to paying the bills, it is about helping others by doing the things we are passionate about and good at, making contributions to the community, and carving ourselves through the challenges while having fun. There will always be people doubting your decisions and path, Ellie demonstrates one of the ways to deal with uncertainty and questioning. Join Ellie and the whale’s journey to learn to be a team player, a pioneer, and an explorer.