The Storm Whale

Buy This Book * More books by Benji Davies

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.

Teaching Ideas and Resources:

English

• Look at the illustration on the front cover. Discuss what you think the book might be about. Read the blurb on the back. Does this give you any other ideas?
• Think of words and phrases to describe whales. Can you use similes or metaphors too?
• Write a description of a storm over the ocean.
• Retell the story from Noi’s (or the whale’s) point of view.
• Write a newspaper article about the events in this story.
• Think of some speech / thought bubbles to accompany the illustrations in the book.
• Noi tells the whale stories about life on the island. Imagine what one of those stories might be.
• Write the conversation that Noi has with his father when the whale is discovered in the bath. Use direct speech and / or reported speech to record what is said.
• Describe how Noi might be feeling when he takes the whale out to sea in the boat with his father.
• Create a set of instructions to teach people how to look after an animal that may be in distress.
• Whales are sometimes kept in captivity. Plan and carry out a debate to discuss the different points of view surrounding this issue.
• Can you write a poem about a whale? This could be an acrostic or a shape poem.
• Write your own sequel, in which Noi meets the whale again.
• Read The Storm Whale in Winter. Which do you prefer? Why?

Science

• Find out more about whales and create a report to teach others about them.

Computing

• Can you record a video that teaches people about whales?
• Create a game in which a whale explores the ocean.
• Record your own narrated version of the story using video / multimedia software.
• Here is a trailer for the sequel to The Storm Whale. Could you make an animated trailer to promote this book?

Design Technology

• Can you create a model of a whale?

Art

• Look at the silhouette pictures on the inside covers. Could you create similar pictures based on whales or other animals?
• Noi paints pictures of the whale when he is gone. Can you paint your own pictures of whales and other ocean creatures?

Music

• Listen to some ‘whale song’. Can you describe what it sounds like?