The Storm Whale

I bought this book for my 6 year olds birthday as I heard the illustrations were fantastic, I have to agree they are, the story is sweet as well. I would say it’s probably more suited for a 4 year old but my daughter still enjoyed.

My almost 5 year old daughter got this for Christmas and she absolutely loves this book. She asks me to read it over and over again at bedtime. The story is simple to follow, not too long and the pictures are a work of art. Highly recommend.

Loved reading this book with my 3 year old. The illustrations are beautiful and the story has a great lesson in it for both parents and children. It’s easy for our children to feel lonely while we try to keep everything afloat, and for kids it teaches them that sometimes friends must be appreciated from afar as they have their own journeys to go on — whether it’s a whale needing to go back to its own habitat or a friend moving away.

This book was taught and recommended to me when I was doing my teacher training at university as a “high quality picture book”. This was our core book for the term for my class of 3-4 year olds and they were able to get so much from it. Pictures are stunning and the book evokes lots of discussion!

Fantastic story of a story of a whale that brings a father and son back together.

This book is a little reminiscent of Oliver’s Jeffer’s, Lost and Found and the writing style reminds me of Oliver Jeffers. So if you/ your children like his books then this book is likely to be a hit. I find the book a sad tale, it has a happy end but the start of the book is quite lonely and bleak. Children don’t seem to read into it in the same way but my children did ask where the boy’s Mum is. There are lots of talking points within the story and the illustrations are beautiful. It’s a short story so works well with younger children. We especially love the pair of gulls that feature throughout the illustrations in the book. This is a book that has been read several times so it passes the children's Judgement!

This book has Stunning illustration and a really beautiful story

This is a wonderful book for a three year old. The little boy goes to the beach after a storm to find a baby whale washed up on the shore. He takes it home to look after it and puts it in the bath (we don't ask how he carried it up the stairs). His father, who has been out on his fishing boat, returns and later finds the whale. Together they return it to the sea, but to Noi it is his friend, and he hopes to see it again (get the sequel too). The text is expressive and clear, and the beautifully painted illustrations of the fishermen's houses, the six cats to find and count, and all the detail are wonderful prompts for discussion. Thank you, Benji Davies.