This medal was chosen as the 93rd issue of the prestigious Society of Medalists series in 1976.
The obverse bears a grasshopper. Above, incuse ALL CREATURES; below, H. Weiss ©
The reverse depicts giant blue whale. Above, GREAT / and; below, SMALL
Harvey Weiss was an accomplished children's book illustrator and he picked a theme that would have delighted many members of that particular segement of his audience, merely based on its visual appeal. Yet it also conveys a more serious message to its mature audience. The medal contrasts the success and survival of the little grasshopper with the near-extinction of the vast blue whale to emphasize mankind's responsibility to protect and preserve all God's creatures, great and small. Weiss wrote in the medal's brochure that he was inspired by Cecil Frances Alaxander's famous hymn:
All things bright and beautiful,
All creatures great and small,
All things wide and wonderful
The Lord God made them all.
This medal measures 73mm in diameter and was produced by the Medallic Art Company which struck 1,350 pieces in bronze and 150 in silver.