The Storm Whale in Winter by Benji Davies (review)

In The Storm Whale (BCCB 10/14), young Noi saved a little lost whale and returned it to the sea. Now Noi himself is lost—he’s gone out on the ice to find his father, who went out for one last fishing trip before the ice closed in. Noi is at first relieved to find his father’s boat frozen in the ice but then becomes afraid when his father is nowhere to be seen. That’s when the storm whale and the whale’s family come to the rescue, repaying Noi’s kindness by breaking up the ice and pushing the boat to the lighthouse where his father safely shelters. The story really needs the first book for full appreciation, but the two titles together make a touching pair; though this sequel pins down the pleasingly ambiguous fantasy question of the first book by making the whale literal, the friendship revisited is a homey yet wondrous tale. The digital art again resembles gouache and pencil with its saturated hues and touches of texture, and there’s a rough Nordic coziness to the snowy fisherman’s world where round-faced Noi is usually the only human. This would slide in alongside folklore about animal rescues like Androcles and the Lion or offer a fantasy-touched trip to a character-rich maritime location.