'How the Whale Became is a series of creation stories from the poet laureate, Ted Hughes. Written in the early sixties when he and his wife were living in Spain, they are dedicated to their two children, Nicholas and Frieda. The stories are rich and diverse and full of humor and pathos. Jackie discovered these wonderful tales after talking with James Mayhew about favourite books. The book was published as a hardback by Faber in 2000. The hardback is now out of print, but Frances Lincoln brought the book back to life as a beautiful paperback edition. Jackie writes:"I read them over and over to my children when I was working on the illustrations for this book and each time found something new in them. Out of all the books I have worked on I can say of this one that it is an essential part of any good library, either in school or in the home. It’s a book that will last a lifetime".