The Storm Whale

Young Noi, on his own during the day, finds a little whale washed up on shore, brings it home, and cares for it in the bathtub. They spend a pleasant day together, but Noi worries his hard-working dad will be angry. Instead Noi's father realizes his son needs companionship. Spare text lets the striking illustrations do much of the physical and emotional scene-setting.

Young Noi lives with his fisherman father (and six cats) in a modest house on the beach. His hard-working dad is away from early morning until night, so Noi is on his own during the day. On one such morning Noi finds a little whale washed up on shore. He brings it home and cares for it in the bathtub: "He knew that it wasn't good for a whale to be out of the water." Boy and whale spend a pleasant day together, with Noi telling stories, playing music on a record player, and sharing his dinner. Noi worries his dad will be angry about the unexpected house guest; on the contrary, the discovery of a whale in his bathtub clues Noi's father in to how much his son needs companionship. Davies's text is spare and straightforward, letting his often dramatic illustrations do much of the physical and emotional scene-setting. The images are effectively varied between cozy interiors and vast expanses of stormy sea and sky, the latter emphasizing little Noi's loneliness and isolation. After the whale returns to the sea and its pod ("where it belonged"), Noi's father puts his attention where it belongs, on his son. A quietly affecting and visually striking book. kitty flynn