Jonah and the Whale Coloring Page

Jonah and the whale is one of the most theatrical stories in the old testament and produces one of the most immediately readable bible illustrations: a huge fish with a person inside. This sheet fills the whale large across the page and cuts away the side to show Jonah sitting inside, knees drawn up, surrounded by smooth curved walls of the belly. The composition works because the scale contrast is clear and funny, Jonah is small but clearly visible, the whale is enormous. The blowhole spout curls up high and gives a child something bright to color at the top of the page, while the wave lines below suggest ocean without complicating the lower space. Print it for a Sunday school lesson on obedience and second chances, for a unit on old testament prophets, or for any child who responds to the dramatic and slightly absurd side of bible narrative. The page suits both the children who want to make Jonah look frightened inside the fish and the children who want to make the whale friendly and colorful on the outside. Both readings of the story are valid.