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Dear Greenpeace

Simon James - Author

This is a playful environmental story in which Emily takes her imagined whale seriously, while Greenpeace offers factual explanations about migration, space and animals’ freedom.

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Book Analysis

At a Glance

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Imagination· ExplainedScience· ExplainedDifferent perspectives· Explained

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Personalised Fit

Beyond the Cover

imaginationsciencedifferent perspectivesanimalsfreedomenvironment

Non-fictionPicture book

Themes in Context

Imagination and factual knowledge

Emily believes a whale is in her pond, while Greenpeace replies that whales need space and migrate; the correspondence develops this contrast.Exploratory / explanatory

How the book presents it: The book appears to make imaginative belief and factual explanation sit alongside one another, using humour rather than presenting only one mode of understanding.

Talk about: How does the ending position Emily’s view alongside Greenpeace’s explanations?

Animal freedom and care

Emily salts the water and feeds Arthur, while Greenpeace explains migration; Arthur eventually returns to travelling the oceans and is later seen at the seaside.Exploratory / explanatory

How the book presents it: The story presents affection for an animal alongside the idea that a whale’s life involves movement and open space, without establishing a simple ownership message.

Talk about: What might Emily learn about caring for an animal whose needs differ from her own?

Why It May Be Worth Reading

The letter exchange creates humour and a clear reason to discuss how stories can mix imagination with real information about animals, habitats, movement and freedom.

What Deserves Attention

Consider whether a child may want to write a reply to Greenpeace, draw a whale’s journey, or talk about what “freedom” might mean for a wild animal.

A Conversation Worth Having

Does the book leave room to ask whether Emily and Greenpeace are each responding to different kinds of truth—personal experience, imagination and scientific knowledge?

Reading Approach

Read the letters aloud with room to pause over the replies, then invite the child to distinguish the whale’s imaginative story from the real information about migration and animal needs.

Confidence & Basis

Theme indicators describe how the book presents a topic; they are not a verdict on the whole book or your family's values. Confidence reflects how much book-specific material was checked. Only part of the book information was available, so some details remain unconfirmed.

What remains unconfirmed

Imagination and factual knowledge: The extracts do not establish whether the book explicitly resolves the tension between imagination and scientific knowledge.
Animal freedom and care: The available details do not show how explicitly the book explains responsible care or the limits of keeping wild animals.

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Limited information

Checked: 21 September 2026.

Relevant to: Imagination and factual knowledge

Dear Greenpeace

Limited information

Checked: 21 September 2026.

Relevant to: General book context

Dear Greenpeace

Limited information

Checked: 21 September 2026.

Relevant to: Animal freedom and care

Benefits, discussion questions and reading approaches are suggestions. Your knowledge of your child remains part of the decision.

Heidi

Heidi

Dear Greenpeace

At a Glance

Discover

Consider

Personalised Fit

Beyond the Cover

Themes in Context

Imagination and factual knowledge

Animal freedom and care

Why It May Be Worth Reading

What Deserves Attention

A Conversation Worth Having

Reading Approach

What remains unconfirmed

Lists This Book Appears In