- Picture Books
- Ages 3–6
- Contemporary
The Great Storm Whale
Book 4 of 4 in The Storm WhaleView the full series
A young girl encounters a great whale during a terrible storm, and the encounter will echo through generations. The fourth Storm Whale book completes the series with a story about family memory and legacy, connecting the world Davies built back to its beginning.
- Best for3–6
- FormatPicture
- Length40 pp
- Read aloud~8 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Lyrical
- Conversational
- Literary
Tone
- Warm
- Gentle
- Heartwarming
- Nostalgic
- Adventurous
- Thought provoking
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
The Great Storm Whale steps back in time to tell the story of a young girl, revealed to be the grandmother from Grandma Bird as a child, and her own encounter with a whale during a great storm. The book gives the franchise a generational sweep: what began as Noi's solitary childhood experience on the island is now shown to be part of a longer family story, passed down through the women of the family from grandmother to grandchild. Davies uses the familiar visual vocabulary, dramatic sea, island light, the emotional specificity of small figures in large natural environments, with added historical resonance. The storytelling structure brings the series full circle in a deeply satisfying way. Works as a standalone, but readers who know the earlier books will find it the most emotionally complete entry in the series.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 3–6
- Read aloud · 3–7
- Independent · 6–7
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Tougher fit
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Stunning illustrations
- Gift book
- Emotional depth
- Discussion starter
- Series completer
Avoid if
No common reasons to avoid this one — a rare clean sweep on the sensitivity flags.
Particularly good for children who are…
- Anxiety and worry
- Making friends
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A tender, beautifully illustrated read-aloud about loneliness and an unlikely friendship — opens gentle talk about kindness and feelings.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific weight is the grandmother being the girl — the fourth Storm Whale stepping back in time to show that Grandma Bird had her own great storm and her own whale as a child, the family story stretching across generations. The Storm Whale that completes the circle.
- Adventure and freedom
- Animal companions
- Cosy safety
- Friendship and belonging
- Making a difference
Why parents love it
The fourth Storm Whale — generational reframing showing Noi's experience as part of a longer family story, Davies's visual vocabulary with added historical resonance. Most emotionally complete entry for readers who know the earlier books. Works standalone but rewards series knowledge.
- Beautiful illustrations
- Conversation starter
- Bedtime appropriate
- Great writing
In the series
The Storm Whale.
4 books · open the series →
About the author & illustrator
Benji Davies.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
More like this…
Books that share themes and topics with this one.
Where you’ll find it
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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