- Picture Books
- Ages 3–6
- Contemporary
The Storm Whale in Winter
Book 2 of 4 in The Storm WhaleView the full series
Winter comes to the island and with it a fierce storm, and the whale returns. The Storm Whale in Winter is more dramatic than the first book, raising the emotional and physical stakes while keeping the same luminous visual warmth. A strong winter read and a worthy sequel.
- Best for3–6
- FormatPicture
- Length40 pp
- Read aloud~8 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Lyrical
- Conversational
- Literary
Tone
- Warm
- Gentle
- Exciting
- Suspenseful
- Heartwarming
- Cosy
- Bittersweet
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Noi returns to the same small island, the same quiet life with his fisherman father, but winter has brought different weather and a different kind of danger. When the whale reappears during a great storm, and Noi's father is out at sea, the book tips from quiet domestic warmth into something more tense and urgent. Davies uses the winter setting brilliantly: the palette shifts to ice-blue and grey, the sea becomes threatening rather than gentle, and the emotional stakes of the first book (Noi's loneliness, his bond with the whale, his relationship with his father) are all intensified. The cosiness level paradoxically rises because the contrast between danger and safety is sharpest here, the scenes inside the warm house, the whale nearby, carry the weight of everything that might be lost. Best read in sequence after The Storm Whale, though it works as a standalone winter read.
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
- Winter book
- Gift book
- Emotional depth
- Seasonal book
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
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 storm — winter on the island, the sea turning grey and threatening, Noi's father out fishing, the whale reappearing as the weather closes in. The Storm Whale sequel where the danger from the first book finally becomes real.
- Animal companions
- Cosy safety
- Friendship and belonging
- Making a difference
- Surviving danger
Why parents love it
The Storm Whale winter sequel — ice-blue palette and threatening sea raising the stakes of the original, contrast between the warm house and the cold outside making the cosiness sharper. Best in sequence; works as standalone winter read.
- Beautiful illustrations
- Bedtime appropriate
- Conversation starter
- 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.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
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