"The Whale Rider" by Witi Ihimaera was first published in 1978. The book received a huge amount of critical acclaim. The book was written in the early years of the author's writing career.

Before writing "The Whale Rider," the author had written only three other novels. The author admits in the introduction to the book that he got inspiration to write the book when his two young daughters came back from their vacation.

The daughters complained that most of the heroes in the stories they had read were male, and women were always crying to be rescued. The daughters told the writer that the women in those stories were always presented as helpless characters.

"The Whale Rider" Made Simple for Students: Summarized and Analyzed
Copyright
Chapter One: Introduction
Chapter Two: Plot Overview
Chapter Three: Major Characters
Chapter Four: Complete Summary
Chapter Five: Critical Analysis