Review of “The Hummingbird & The Narwhal” by Annie Higbee

​Score: 95/100 (9.5 out of 10)

The Hummingbird & The Narwhal is a bold, brilliant, and beautiful children's book! It is written AND illustrated by Annie Higbee, a newcomer to our contests who demonstrated excellence in both writing and art in this book.

The book says a lot about how—despite our differences—there are always things we have in common like the desire for companionship, the need to belong, having hopes, and pursuing dreams.

The book also emphasizes celebrating the things that make us unique and special. Rather than seeing these things as negatives or things that make us undesirable, we can view them in a positive light. We can view the things that make us different as a strength and an advantage.

That's why it's so fitting that the word “unicorn” is used frequently throughout the book. One of the characters is referred to as a “unicorn of the sea.” This has deeper meaning than just being a cool title or nickname. A “unicorn” is an anomaly—someone or something that is unlike all the others. Maybe they're especially tall or especially smart.

In any case, this book has a lot of nuance and a lot to say, and it does it well!

The Hummingbird & the Narwhal centers around two very different animal characters from two very different hemispheres, yet they have so much in common!

Hummingbird is from the Northern Hemisphere, specifically Maine. She shares a mutually-beneficial relationship with the flowers, carrying their pollen in exchange for nectar. We've seen this metaphor numerous times before, but it's still potent. Hummingbird uses her bird/sky song (vibrations in the air) to communicate. She belongs to a group of other Hummingbirds called a charm, though (from our observation), she's a bit of a lone wolf who loves to wander and adventure outside the group while still belonging to it.

Narwhal (whose real name is “The One Who Points to the Sky”) is from the Southern Hemisphere. He belongs to a group of other narwhals called a blessing. Similar to Hummingbird, he's a bit of a loner and a rogue adventurer. Part of that might be that he feels like the oddball of the group. He feels different from all of the other creatures around him. In particular, he is self-conscious of his large, protruding, twisty horn that seems to serve no practical purpose. He communicate via a sort of echolocation, creating vibrations in the water. This parallels the way that Hummingbird creates vibrations in the air/sky.

At some point in her migration, Hummingbird is swept far off course and loses her way in the cold, seemingly-empty Southern Hemisphere, Narwhal's territory.

As fate would have it, Narwhal is also lost and lonely. He frantically and desperately makes his whale sounds, hoping that someone will hear him, but his blessing (friends/family) is nowhere to be found. Meanwhile, Hummingbird calls from the sky, trying to find her charm (flock).

They eventually encounter each other, having heard each other's songs. Humorously, Hummingbird initially only sees Narwhal's horn sticking out from the water while the rest of him remains submerged, so it almost seems like she's talking to a big stick poking out of the water. How cute!

However, she eventually gets to see more of him and vice-versa, realizing that he's actually a large, magnificent creature—contrary to the way that he feels about himself. They bond over the fact that Hummingbird's beak and Narwhal's horn are very similar in shape. They also bond over the fact that their fins and wings are similar. They work in different yet similar ways.

Narwhal is clearly self-conscious about his horn, thinking that it's weird and impractical. However, Hummingbird tells him that his horn makes him special and unique. She concludes that he's a UNICORN—a “unicorn of the sea!”

Narwhal also feels that he lacks the color and vibrancy of other animals. However, when Hummingbird tells him how wonderful he is, Narwhal shines and glows. He changes from black & white to vibrant, colorful, sparkling hue.

Now, in all honesty, we think that this part is actually more nuanced than Narwhal just magically transforming into a bright, bold, colorful character. The truth is, we actually think that he was always a bright, bold, colorful character, but just lacked the confidence in himself to show it. So, the “color” and “magic” might actually be more symbolic and poetic than anything. We'd almost compare it to blushing. That would be a more realistic, grounded explanation for what happened.

Then again, this is a book in which a Hummingbird is just chilling out and casually talking to a sea creature in frigid, sub-zero temperatures. So, maybe there is some magic to be found here.

This book is beautiful in so many ways! First of all, some of the illustrations are truly jaw-dropping. Pages 13, 15, 21, 23, 31, 33, and 35 range from great to mesmerizing! Page 21 almost reminded us of a Japanese wood block painting, kinda like a Hanafuda card! It contrasts the dark, aquatic depths that Narwhal is familiar with and meshes them with the red, floral foreground that reflects the world that the Hummingbird comes from. On page 23, we get to see the magnificent aurora borealis in the background, almost like a chorus of angels celebrating the union between the Hummingbird and Narwhal. Pages 31 and 35 are almost definitely going to be the most appealing pages for kids as they stand in awe and amazement as Narwhal gains/showcases his bright, vibrant colors.

With that said, it did kinda seem like at least two of these pages were either unfinished (uncolored) or left intentionally black & white to reflect the theme of darkness and color: page 9 and 19. Page 19 in particular looks more like a sketch than a finished illustration, albeit a very good sketch. What makes us feel that way isn't just the lack of color, but it's the way that the spot pattern on Narwhal's back seems more doodled (random swirls of a pencil) than deliberate. The same can be said about Narwhal's eyes in that panel.

Very briefly, another very slight issue is the wordiness compounded by the small text. This can present challenges if you're reading it to a group of kids and have to keep turning your head back and forth between them and the book. We noticed a very similar issue with The Best Summer Guest by Tuula Pere, the most experienced children's author in our contest. It happens.

Anyway, going back to what's beautiful about this book... It's not just a great friendship book, it's actually quite romantic! We're not sure if the author intended it, but Hummingbird and Narwhal would actually make a very cute couple—one that crosses realms, worlds, and hemispheres! They have phenomenal chemistry, almost like Nugget & Bandit (the raccoon couple) from Nugget & Bandit's First Winter. They complement each other and make each other better!

Hummingbird really helps Narwhal to believe in himself and gain self-love and confidence! She also teaches him about the beauties and intricacies of her world, especially the flora. At the same time, Narwhal is able to provide Hummingbird a friend to talk to and an escape from the monotony and mundane nature of her existence.

This book could be likened to relationships that transcend physical and superficial differences, focusing instead on the deeper aspects of each person—their heart, mind, and soul.

Lastly, we loved how this book was able to educate us about the unique ways that these animals communicate and on what groups of these animals are called.

Check it out on Amazon!