The Storm Whale

Author:

Benji Davies

Illustrator:

N/A

Published by:

Simon & Schuster Children's UK

First Published:

15 Aug 2013

Ideal for readers age

3-5y

My Review

Benji Davies writes so beautifully - a bit like Oliver Jeffers, his books have a lovely rhythm to them for reading aloud, and he incorporates great vocabulary into his stories. They just make me smile when I'm reading them! His illustrations are gorgeous, using such beautiful colour combinations and simplicity of style, and I love his focus on friendship, family, and the precious wonder of encounters with nature. Noi lives with his father in a house by the sea in an unspecified arctic location, so the books give children a taste of a different and simpler life where the weather has power to disrupt and dictate the way his family live through the seasons. The books don't shy away from moments of fear or sadness or loneliness, but there is always comfort and safety for Noi to be found in the end in his family and in the wild around him.

Heads Up!

In 'The Storm Whale', Noi must say goodbye to his friend the whale; it's a great book for helping with conversations about letting go and saying goodbye to loved ones.

If you like 'The Storm Whale', you will also love 'The Storm Whale in Winter', 'Grandma Bird', and 'The Great Storm Whale' - I think the first two in the series are my favourites!

Publisher Review

Noi and his father live in a house by the sea, his father works hard as a fisherman and Noi often has only their six cats for company. So when, one day, he finds a baby whale washed up on the beach after a storm, Noi is excited and takes it home to care for it. He tries to keep his new friend a secret, but there's only so long you can keep a whale in the bath without your dad finding out. Noi is eventually persuaded that the whale has to go back to the sea where it belongs. For Noi, even though he can't keep it, the arrival of the whale changes his life for the better - the perfect gift from one friend to another.