Another aspect of the moral is about God's mercy. Even though Jonah was disobedient, God still saved him from the belly of the whale. This teaches that God is forgiving and gives second chances.
God is also a character in a sense. It's God who gives Jonah the command to go to Nineveh and who also arranges for the whale to swallow Jonah as a consequence of his disobedience and then later saves him.
In children's storybooks, it is often told in a simple and vivid way. The pictures usually show Jonah being swallowed by a big whale, with a surprised look on his face.
Well, opinions on this vary. From a religious perspective, it's often taken as a true account with deep spiritual significance. But from a strictly historical or scientific viewpoint, there's no concrete evidence to prove its literal truth.
The story of Jonah and the Whale is from the Bible. Jonah was commanded by God to go to Nineveh to preach, but he tried to run away. He ended up in the belly of a whale and after praying, was spit out. Then he obeyed God and went to Nineveh.
In the Bible story, it's not really explained in a scientific way how Jonah survived in the whale. It's more of a miracle, a sign of God's power. God made it possible for Jonah to be in the whale's belly and still live. Maybe it was God's special protection that shielded Jonah from the whale's digestive system and other harmful elements inside the whale. It's all part of the supernatural aspect of the story.
Jonah was a prophet. He was called by God to go to Nineveh to preach to the people there. But instead of obeying, he tried to run away by boarding a ship going in the opposite direction.
Children can learn about obedience. Jonah disobeyed God's command at first, and his time in the whale's belly was like a punishment. It shows that we should listen to what is right.