Whale Man - by Robert Chafe (Hardcover)

About the Book

Book Synopsis

When Jon and Judy Lien moved to the island of Newfoundland, they expected their new life to be an adventure--but what an adventure it became! Jon was a scientist, coming to study the storm petrel--a tiny sea bird. He made friends with fishermen, who took him out to neighbouring islands to study the local seabirds. And then, one day, a fisherman phoned him in a panic--a whale was tangled in his fishing net. Could Jon help him release the whale and save his fishing net? Jon had never attempted anything like that, but he agreed to try.

Not only did he save that whale, over the course of his life, Jon Lien went on to free more than 500 whales from fishing nets in Newfoundland and Labrador, and to teach others how to free them, too. Known as "The Whale Man," he was loved and respected throughout the province, and beyond.

This beautifully illustrated picture-book biography, written by Governor-General's award-winning playwright Robert Chafe, tells the story of Lien for young readers. Katie Arthur's gorgeous artwork brings the drama of that first release vividly to life. This is a beautiful celebration of a life well lived, sure to inspire young and old to care for and connect with the animals around them.

About the Author

Robert Chafe is a writer, educator, actor and arts administrator based in St. John's, Ktaqmkuk (Newfoundland). He has worked in theatre, dance, opera, radio, fiction, and film. His stage plays have been seen in Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and in the United States, and include Oil and Water, Tempting Providence, Afterimage, Under Wraps, Between Breaths, Everybody Just C@lm the F#ck Down, and The Colony of Unrequited Dreams (adapted from the novel by Wayne Johnston.) He has been shortlisted three times for the Governor General's Literary Award for Drama and he won the award for Afterimage in 2010. He has been guest instructor at Memorial University, Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, and The National Theatre School of Canada. In 2018 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from Memorial University. He is the playwright and Artistic Director of Artistic Fraud.

Katie Arthur writes, draws, and edits books for young readers. She is the author and illustrator of Our Woolly Bear (2024), What if Marty Doesn't Like My Party? (2025), and Backpack (2026). Katie holds an MA in English Literature & Creative Writing from Concordia University and is also a graduate of the Humber School for Writers. Her work has received support from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada, and her adult fiction has been longlisted twice for the CBC Short Story Prize. Born and raised in the suburbs of Southern Ontario, Katie now lives with her family on the rocky shores of Northeastern Nova Scotia. When she's not sitting at a desk, she likes growing leafy vegetables, controlling the music on car rides, and making comics with her daughters.