She prefers to communicate using American Sign Language (ASL), a system that relies on hand and facial gestures in place of words. Twelve-year-old Iris was named after the beached sei whale her maternal grandparents found on the day of her birth. However, she also wanted to portray Iris as proudly Deaf and eager to engage with Deaf culture.Ī Kirkus Reviews post published on December 1, 2018, writes how Song for a Whale “incorporates important elements of Deaf culture and the expansiveness and richness of American Sign Language but makes concessions to hearing readers in its recording of conversations.” The review acknowledges that while Deaf and hearing readers may well respond to the story differently, it acts as a bridge between both communities and alienates neither. After more than 20 years of experience as an ASL interpreter and getting to know children who are Deaf, Kelly learned that self-expression and belonging to a peer group remains a challenge for many.

Kelly states that “he character of Iris came to me as the kind of person who’d be compelled to track down the lonely whale, since she’s one of the many kids who go through every day feeling like she isn’t heard” (293). Kelly notes in her novel that she chose the name Blue 55 because the repeated five ties in with ASL poetry. Other whales, who typically sing at frequencies of 35 Hz and lower, reject 52 Blue, while humans dub him “the loneliest whale in the world” (289). This whale, Blue 55, is based on real-life whale 52 Blue, who sings at a 52-Hz frequency.

The story follows a girl named Iris, who is Deaf, as she befriends a whale. This study guide and its citations are based on the Piccadilly Press Kindle Edition published in February 2019.

Song for a whale lynne kelly