Cody’s Whisper
A Heartwarming Children's Book About Emotional Resilience and Nature's Wisdom
In the poignant picture book Cody’s Whisper, a shy coyote learns to love himself through his interactions with the natural world.
In Malia Grace’s striking picture book Cody’s Whisper, a coyote pup, admiring the calm of nature, learns to accept his quietness as a strength.
Cody struggles to fit in with his peers, who make fun of him for being quiet, shy, and having a stutter. One evening, he escapes their teasing by running into the forest. There, he asks the moon what to do about feeling small and powerless. The moon’s wisdom that “you don’t have to be loud to shine” and “your light is unique, even if it comes out softly,” as the moon’s light does during its crescent phase, inspires Cody to ask the sun, a creek, a tree, and various forest animals how they deal with loneliness, fear, and self-esteem issues. When Cody emerges from the forest, he has learned to love the parts of himself that he once saw as weaknesses.
Made up of a series of conversations between Cody and nature, the book has a minimalist plot. There’s a brief mention of Cody being teased by classmates, but they accept him with ease upon his return and “began to learn from him,” limiting the book’s tension. The book’s conclusion is somewhat abrupt and unconvincing as a result. Cody’s reunion with the moon, however, who offers its light as a reminder that Cody should be proud of himself, is sweet and poignant.
Indeed, Cody is an endearing hero. He’s fleshed out as gentle and curious as he moves from animal to animal in the forest. That he asks questions with open-mindedness and genuine interest, paired with compliments, is what seems to make the other animals so willing to answer him.
Evocative analogies abound, as when Cody “feels like a tiny whisper in a room full of noise.” Two themes walk hand-in-hand throughout: the regulating power of nature and self-love. The connections between them are smooth, as the lessons from nature align with the qualities of the speaker (a butterfly is “graceful, fearless, and free” because they’ve accepted that change is part of life, for instance), elevating nature’s purpose from a backdrop Cody lives against to an interconnected phenomenon that grows and changes as he does.
The illustrations are stunning, capturing the beauty of nature well. They include intricate details, as of tiny frogs and mushrooms that bask at the delicate curved edge of a creek that bends around sturdy rocks; Cody places his paws in the water to watch it flow around them. There are fluid lines of movement, and the animals’ large eyes add playfulness and charm.
Cody’s Whisper is a tender picture book about nature’s ability to model self-acceptance.
Reviewed by
Aimee Jodoin
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book and paid a small fee to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. Foreword Reviews and Clarion Reviews make no guarantee that the publisher will receive a positive review. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
