Cartoon whale tail splashing near a whale watch boat, lighthouse, clouds, and distant islands.

Smiling Whale Tail by the Watch Boat

A cheerful whale tail rises from curling waves while six passengers wave from a whale watch boat near a lighthouse.

🎨 How to color it

Color the whale tail deep ocean blue, the whale watch boat sunny yellow, the lighthouse red and white, and the clouds pale sky blue. Use broad crayon strokes for the big rolling waves, then switch to a sharper pencil for the tiny passenger faces and the boat’s “WHALE WATCH” letters. Try making the splash drops turquoise and white so they sparkle around the smiling tail.

The story behind this coloring page

The Button That Called Back — Every day on vacation, Iris rubbed the smooth blue button in her pocket before stepping onto any dock. Read the full story →

Every day on vacation, Iris rubbed the smooth blue button in her pocket before stepping onto any dock. It had come from her raincoat, and its small round click made the harbor feel steady under her shoes. “Tap-tap,” she whispered, while gulls squeaked above the whale watch boat.

Until one day, silver mist slid over the bay and hid the lighthouse. Because of that, the captain slowed the engine to a hush. Because of that, everyone grew quiet enough to hear one deep breath rise from the water. Iris’s knees wobbled, but she tapped her button on the rail: tap-tap.

A whale answered with a splash like tossed glass, lifting a smiling tail beside the boat. “Hello,” Iris breathed. The lighthouse blinked through the mist at last, and the boat turned home. If you spot the little waves around that happy tail, can you hear Iris’s steady tap-tap?