Why the Whales Came is a children's story written by Michael Morpurgo[1] and first published by William Heinemann in 1985. It is set on the island of Bryher, one of the Isles of Scilly, in the year 1914. "You keep away from the Birdman", warned Gracie's father. But Gracie and her friend Daniel discover that the Birdman is not mad or dangerous as everyone says. It is the Birdman who warns them to stay away from Samson Island – he says it is cursed. Gracie's father then joins the navy and goes to war. Gracie's mother falls ill and cannot earn enough money to support the family. Gracie and Daniel decide to go fishing to earn money against Gracie's mother's wishes. Daniel and Gracie get stranded on Samson by fog they have to unravel the island's haunting secrets and help the Birdman to keep the curse from crossing to Bryher. Soon after, Gracie comes home to learn of a tragic loss. Is it true? Is Samson really cursed?
Gracie and Daniel, two young children, live on the island of Bryher in the Isles of Scilly at the beginning of World War I. Their parents warn them not to go to near the Birdman, who lives on the south side of the island. There are rumours that the Birdman is mad and dangerous. However, Gracie and Daniel end up on the south side of the island when they cannot find a place to sail their boats, and eventually run into him. The Birdman turns out to be friendly and they begin a secret friendship with the old man. He alerts them when a large deposit of timber from a wrecked ship is deposited on one of the island's beaches, and the islanders manage to hide the timber before customs officers from St Mary's arrive.
The Birdman warns them in turn to stay away from the island of Samson, which he says is cursed. According to his story, a large school of whales were washed ashore on the island and were massacred by the islanders. This led to a number of misfortunes, including the well drying up, which eventually made the island uninhabitable. The curse can only be lifted when the guilt of Samson is redeemed.
As luck would have it, during a fishing trip, Gracie and Daniel end up stranded on Samson, which appears to be haunted. When they return home, they hear that their father has disappeared while fighting at Gallipoli. Soon after, a school of whales are washed ashore on Bryher, and it appears that Bryher will suffer the same fate as Samson. Gracie and Daniel try to stop the whales from being slaughtered, and eventually succeed when joined by their mother. As a result, the curse of Samson is lifted and the islanders of Bryher are able to visit it. Finally, their father returns home, having miraculously survived.
The book was filmed under the title When the Whales Came in 1989 and performed on stage in 2003.[2]