Whale tail rising from ocean waves near cliffs at sunrise coloring page

Whale Tail at Sunrise

A whale’s wide tail lifts from rolling waves as the sun rises behind distant cliffs and small clouds.

🎨 How to color it

Color the whale tail deep slate blue, the sunrise golden yellow, the cliffside sandy tan, and the rolling waves in seafoam and navy. Use sharp colored pencils for the many thin wave lines, following each curve so the water keeps its flowing motion. Try fading the sky from peach near the sun to pale blue at the top, making the tail stand out like a secret sign.

The story behind this coloring page

Tavia’s Secret Tide Kite — Under the quiet ledge, where the water smelled of salt and cold stone, Tavia twisted strips of eelgrass into a tiny tide kite. It sagged like wet spaghetti. Read the full story →

Under the quiet ledge, where the water smelled of salt and cold stone, Tavia twisted strips of eelgrass into a tiny tide kite. It sagged like wet spaghetti. She needed stiff red reeds from beyond the rocky coast, so she slipped out before the gulls began their scratchy arguing.

The current tugged hard. A reef barnacle snagged her best ribbon of kelp, and Tavia had to leave it fluttering there. Then a lantern crab bobbed past in a cracked glass float, glowing green as a wink. “Trade you a reed for a tow,” he whispered. Tavia pulled him from a tangle of foam and cliffs, and he tapped out a secret: split the reeds with shell, bend them over warm bubbles, tie them crosswise.

Back under the ledge, Tavia’s fins worked until the kite held its shape. At sunrise, she lifted her tail and sent it skimming over the waves, proud as if she had built the morning herself. If you spot that tail above the water, maybe you’ve caught the exact moment her handmade secret took flight.