The Leaky Whale tells the delightful story of a whale named Earl who, by helping a crew of friendly seamen in a terrible storm, was helped by them in return. This long out-of-print classic was originally published in 1946. The charming and colorful watercolor illustrations were created by Charles Darby, who died in England returning from a World War II mission in 1944. Darby s close friend Jack Johnson, and his wife Laura Johnson, were determined to share the illustrations with young readers and so, wrote the story and arranged for the book s publication. Darby and Johnson were both members of the legendary Beachcombers artists club in Provincetown, Massachusetts. When the New York Times reviewed the book in 1946, its reviewer wrote: When this book was read to ten four-year-olds, they wanted it again and at the end of that reading, again. "