Fans pick 100 books like The Storm Whale

By Benji Davies,

Here are 100 books that The Storm Whale fans have personally recommended if you like The Storm Whale. Shepherd is a community of 12,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Book cover of Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth

Ali Gilkeson Author Of My Lighthouse: A Story of Finding Your Way Home

From my list on children’s books for adults and kids.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a mother of 3 kids, I’ve always valued story time in our home. It’s a moment in the day to catch your breath and watch your child’s imagination begin to run wild and free. It’s a moment that I believe should be enjoyed by everyone involved. I have read thousands of kids' books over the years, and when I began to find books that I could enjoy just as much as my kids, it was like striking gold. It became my passion to find books and then, in turn, write books that brought the family together. 

Ali's book list on children’s books for adults and kids

Ali Gilkeson Why did Ali love this book?

I am a huge fan of Oliver Jeffers. I find his artwork and expression so creative and fun. Even the simplest spread can look so beautiful. With every turn of the page, while the kids are enjoying the story, I am captivated by his artwork.

I love it when my kids pick this book to read at night. It also has a fantastic message about taking care of the planet and yourself, which I’m a big fan of.  

By Oliver Jeffers,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Here We Are as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

#1 New York Times Bestseller and #1 TIME Best Book of the Year for 2017!

The exquisite and thought-provoking new book from the multi award-winning, internationally best-selling picture book creator of Lost and Found, Oliver Jeffers.

Well, hello.
And welcome to this Planet.
We call it Earth.

Our world can be a bewildering place, especially if you've only just got here. Your head will be filled with questions, so let's explore what makes our planet and how we live on it. From land and sky, to people and time, these notes can be your guide and start you on your…


Book cover of It Came in the Mail

Ali Gilkeson Author Of My Lighthouse: A Story of Finding Your Way Home

From my list on children’s books for adults and kids.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a mother of 3 kids, I’ve always valued story time in our home. It’s a moment in the day to catch your breath and watch your child’s imagination begin to run wild and free. It’s a moment that I believe should be enjoyed by everyone involved. I have read thousands of kids' books over the years, and when I began to find books that I could enjoy just as much as my kids, it was like striking gold. It became my passion to find books and then, in turn, write books that brought the family together. 

Ali's book list on children’s books for adults and kids

Ali Gilkeson Why did Ali love this book?

I love kids' books that have little nods to the adults reading the story, and Ben does this beautifully. I love the quirky, fun artwork on each page and the variety of layouts. I also adored the message behind this story, teaching kids that having or getting more is not always better.

This is a book I always enjoy with my kids and its the perfect length to still get them to bed on time. Bonus!

By Ben Clanton,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked It Came in the Mail as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of Stuck

Ali Gilkeson Author Of My Lighthouse: A Story of Finding Your Way Home

From my list on children’s books for adults and kids.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a mother of 3 kids, I’ve always valued story time in our home. It’s a moment in the day to catch your breath and watch your child’s imagination begin to run wild and free. It’s a moment that I believe should be enjoyed by everyone involved. I have read thousands of kids' books over the years, and when I began to find books that I could enjoy just as much as my kids, it was like striking gold. It became my passion to find books and then, in turn, write books that brought the family together. 

Ali's book list on children’s books for adults and kids

Ali Gilkeson Why did Ali love this book?

Okay, I may enjoy this book more than my kids at times and can more than likely recite it from memory. I find the story and character of Floyd delightful and funny, and I laughed out loud at parts.

I believe this is an excellent book that every age can love. Go ahead and add this to your library; I guarantee you won't regret it.

By Oliver Jeffers,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Stuck as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 3, 4, 5, and 6.

What is this book about?

Delightful chaos ensues when a young boy gets his kite stuck up a tree in this laugh-out-loud new picture book from award-winning, internationally best-selling author-illustrator Oliver Jeffers!

Floyd gets his kite stuck up a tree. He throws up his shoe to shift it, but that gets stuck too. So he throws up his other shoe and that gets stuck, along with... a ladder, a pot of paint, the kitchen sink, an orang-utan and a whale, amongst other things!

Will Floyd ever get his kite back?

A hilarious book with a wonderful surprise ending.


If you love The Storm Whale...

Ad

Book cover of What Walks This Way: Discovering the Wildlife Around Us Through Their Tracks and Signs

What Walks This Way By Sharman Apt Russell,

Nature writer Sharman Apt Russell tells stories of her experiences tracking wildlife—mostly mammals, from mountain lions to pocket mice—near her home in New Mexico, with lessons that hold true across North America. She guides readers through the basics of identifying tracks and signs, revealing a landscape filled with the marks…

Book cover of Odd Dog Out

Ali Gilkeson Author Of My Lighthouse: A Story of Finding Your Way Home

From my list on children’s books for adults and kids.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a mother of 3 kids, I’ve always valued story time in our home. It’s a moment in the day to catch your breath and watch your child’s imagination begin to run wild and free. It’s a moment that I believe should be enjoyed by everyone involved. I have read thousands of kids' books over the years, and when I began to find books that I could enjoy just as much as my kids, it was like striking gold. It became my passion to find books and then, in turn, write books that brought the family together. 

Ali's book list on children’s books for adults and kids

Ali Gilkeson Why did Ali love this book?

I love this book because the artwork is so vibrant, and the message of teaching kids it's okay to be different from others is vital. The author created a fun rhyming scheme as you read through which normally I’m not into but when it is done this well I can jump on board.

I really enjoy reading this book with my kids and seeing them understand an important message while enjoying the beautiful rainbow color palette. It is wonderful.

By Rob Biddulph,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Odd Dog Out as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 4, 5, 6, and 7.

What is this book about?

It's a dog's life in the big city... Come join one busy dog on her journey to find her place in the world, from Rob Biddulph - the genius behind the #DrawWithRob phenomenon and the bestselling and award-winning Blown Away!

For busy dogs
A busy day
Of busy work
And busy play...

But one dog doesn't quite fit in. It's lonely being the odd dog out. She's willing to go to the other side of the world to look for her place in it... but it might take a different kind of journey for her to realise that maybe where…


Book cover of Crab and Snail: The Invisible Whale

Mike Lowery Author Of Everything Awesome About Sharks and Other Underwater Creatures!

From my list on the ocean for kids.

Why am I passionate about this?

Besides being an avid sketchbook keeper, author, and illustrator, I also collect weird and random facts. In my Everything Awesome book series, I love discovering cool facts to share with readers about some of my favorite topics, including sharks, space, and dinosaurs.

Mike's book list on the ocean for kids

Mike Lowery Why did Mike love this book?

I love how these best beach friends (that’s BBF to you!) think deeply about both friendship and the realities of being invisible. They also need to work together to figure out why the rain won’t stop falling on only the two of them! Can they figure it out?

This book is a funny and charming seaside tale. 

By Beth Ferry, Jared Chapman (illustrator),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Crab and Snail as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 6, 7, 8, and 9.

What is this book about?

Join Crab and Snail in the surf zone, where they think deep thoughts and have unforgettable seaside adventures, in this graphic early reader series debut by New York Times bestselling author Beth Ferry and beloved illustrator Jared Chapman.

The never-ending rain is putting a damper on Crab and Snail's plans for a sunny, funny day. So when the BBFs (Best Beach Friends) realize that it's only raining on them, they put their heads together and consult one know-it-all gull (he really does know it all!) to get to the bottom of it. By the time the rain clears, the duo…


Book cover of Watching Giants: The Secret Lives of Whales

Jim Lynch Author Of The Highest Tide

From my list on cool facts about whales.

Why am I passionate about this?

I began as a journalist and turned into a novelist who uses extensive research to build my imagined stories. So, I tend to end up writing novels about whatever is fascinating enough to send me down research rabbit holes. I’m finishing a novel now about the wonders and mysteries of whales and the researchers who commit their lives to try to understand them. During the last three years, I have interviewed whale researchers, gone on expeditions with them, and have read countless scientific papers and quite a few books on whales. These books I’m recommending here were some of my favorites.

Jim's book list on cool facts about whales

Jim Lynch Why did Jim love this book?

Kelsey’s book is a graceful mix of science and personal odyssey. She hangs out with whale scientists and asks smart questions. Her subjects are as much the scientists as the whales, including Chris Clark who studies the acoustics of whales and our increasingly noisy oceans. She takes us on her personal journey to the last page where she concludes that whales “inspire me to act more generously.”

By Elin Kelsey, Doc White (photographer), Francois Gohier (photographer)

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked Watching Giants as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Personal, anecdotal, and highly engaging, "Watching Giants" opens a window on a world that seems quite like our own, yet is so different that understanding it pushes the very limits of our senses. Elin Kelsey's colorful first-person account, drawing from her rich, often humorous, everyday experiences as a mother, a woman, and a scientist, takes us to the incredibly productive waters of the Gulf of California and beyond, to oceans around the world. Kelsey brings us along as she talks to leading cetacean researchers and marine ecologists about their intriguing discoveries. We encounter humpback whales that build nets from bubbles,…


If you love Benji Davies...

Ad

Book cover of Diary of a Citizen Scientist: Chasing Tiger Beetles and Other New Ways of Engaging the World

Diary of a Citizen Scientist By Sharman Apt Russell,

Citizen Scientist begins with this extraordinary statement by the Keeper of Entomology at the London Museum of Natural History, “Study any obscure insect for a week and you will then know more than anyone else on the planet.”

As the author chases the obscure Western red-bellied tiger beetle across New…

Book cover of Leviathan: Or, The Whale

Jim Lynch Author Of The Highest Tide

From my list on cool facts about whales.

Why am I passionate about this?

I began as a journalist and turned into a novelist who uses extensive research to build my imagined stories. So, I tend to end up writing novels about whatever is fascinating enough to send me down research rabbit holes. I’m finishing a novel now about the wonders and mysteries of whales and the researchers who commit their lives to try to understand them. During the last three years, I have interviewed whale researchers, gone on expeditions with them, and have read countless scientific papers and quite a few books on whales. These books I’m recommending here were some of my favorites.

Jim's book list on cool facts about whales

Jim Lynch Why did Jim love this book?

Leviathan is an incredibly well written book about Hoare’s own fascination with whales and Moby Dick, Herman Melville’s intense whale-driven masterpiece. Hoare captures whales in words as well as anybody. “The whale is a miracle of marine engineering,” he writes, and then explains both their biological wonders as well as their psychological impact on us. “There is a supernatural physicality to them… They look like we feel as we float in our dreams.”

By Philip Hoare,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Leviathan as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The story of a man's obsession with whales, which takes him on a personal, historical and biographical journey - from his childhood to his fascination with Moby-Dick and his excursions whale-watching.

All his life, Philip Hoare has been obsessed by whales, from the gigantic skeletons in London's Natural History Museum to adult encounters with the wild animals themselves. Whales have a mythical quality - they seem to elide with dark fantasies of sea-serpents and antediluvian monsters that swim in our collective unconscious.

In 'Leviathan', Philip Hoare seeks to locate and identify this obsession. What impelled Melville to write 'Moby-Dick'? After…


Book cover of The Whale: In Search of the Giants of the Sea

Skip Finley Author Of Whaling Captains of Color: America's First Meritocracy

From my list on from an expert on whaling captains of color.

Why am I passionate about this?

Before becoming a writer I was widely acknowledged as a successful radio station executive, a business relying heavily on audience and other numerical information. That earned me the nickname “Data” (from Star Trek). Having written an article about a Black whaling captain for Martha’s Vineyard Magazine I became intrigued about how this could have occurred in the years of slavery and began buying and reading books on whaling to find that answer. About 100 such books resulted in my book on 50 some men who had attained that lofty rank; today I’m up to about 180 and/or I can attest I’ve read fundamentally all of the books on the subject.

Skip's book list on from an expert on whaling captains of color

Skip Finley Why did Skip love this book?

Too many books about whaling omit the obvious, the whale itself. An example is that we killed the largest creature on earth for 100 years before we learned it wasn’t a fish! The Whale is educational, laugh-out-loud funny, at times scatological, and easy to read. Best-selling author Nathaniel Philbrick called it “genius... rhapsodic meditation on all things cetacean” in his New York Times book review. It’s the bible of whales and, dare I say it, more interesting than Moby-Dick.

By Philip Hoare,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Whale as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"A love letter to the 'largest, loudest, oldest' mammal ever to have existed...exhilarating." -People Magazine

Winner of the BBC Samuel Johnson Prize for Nonfiction,

From his childhood fascination with the gigantic Natural History Museum model of a blue whale, to his abiding love of Moby-Dick, to his adult encounters with the living animals in the Atlantic Ocean, the acclaimed writer Philip Hoare has been obsessed with whales. The Whale is his unforgettable and moving attempt to explain why these strange and beautiful animals exert such a powerful hold on our imagination.

An enthralling and eye-opening literary leviathan swimming in similar…


Book cover of The Presence of Whales: Contemporary Writings on the Whale

Jim Lynch Author Of The Highest Tide

From my list on cool facts about whales.

Why am I passionate about this?

I began as a journalist and turned into a novelist who uses extensive research to build my imagined stories. So, I tend to end up writing novels about whatever is fascinating enough to send me down research rabbit holes. I’m finishing a novel now about the wonders and mysteries of whales and the researchers who commit their lives to try to understand them. During the last three years, I have interviewed whale researchers, gone on expeditions with them, and have read countless scientific papers and quite a few books on whales. These books I’m recommending here were some of my favorites.

Jim's book list on cool facts about whales

Jim Lynch Why did Jim love this book?

The Presence of Whales includes more than twenty different articles, essays, and excerpts about whales, including work from famous nature writers like Diane Ackerman and Farley Mowat, as well as seminal pieces from whale scientists Hal Whitehead and Roger Payne. Barry Lopez’s story about 36 sperm whales stranding on the Oregon coast alone is worth the price of this book—if you can find it. Here’s Lopez describing a sperm whale: “Imagine a forty-five-year-old male fifty feet long, a slim shiny black animal with a white jaw and marbled belly cutting the surface of green ocean water at twenty knots.”

By Frank Stewart (editor),

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Presence of Whales as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Frank Stewart, an observer, writer, storyteller, and lover of whales gathers the most compelling contemporary essays on cetaceans in the first anthology to bring together many of the foremost  marine scientists and nature writers, including Diane Ackerman, Barry Lopez, Farley Mowat, Faith McNulty, and Jonathan White.   

The essays are organized in five sections that celebrates our ongoing fascination with these fragile giants.

Sharing the World of Giants

contains essays inspired by being in the presence of whales,

Songs from the Deep

concentrates on whale vocalizations,

Sightings of the Leviathan

are compelling accounts of personal observations of whale behavior,

Death at…


If you love The Storm Whale...

Ad

Book cover of At What Cost, Silence?

At What Cost, Silence? By Karen Lynne Klink,

Secrets, misunderstandings, and a plethora of family conflicts abound in this historical novel set along the Brazos River in antebellum Washington County, East Texas.

It is a compelling story of two neighboring plantation families and a few of the enslaved people who serve them. These two plantations are a microcosm…

Book cover of Fathoms: The World in the Whale

Christopher J. Preston Author Of Tenacious Beasts: Wildlife Recoveries That Change How We Think about Animals

From my list on opening your eyes to wildlife.

Why am I passionate about this?

Born in England but living now in America’s mountain west, I am sucker for landscapes that dance with unusual plants and animals. I have been a commercial fisherman, a tool librarian, and a back-country park ranger. These days, I’m an award-winning public philosopher and author. I have written books and articles about powerful emerging technologies. However, I realized a few years ago that wild animals are an antidote to the technological and commercial forces that can flatten our world. From art painted on cave walls millennia ago to the toys we still give to our children, animals are an important part of human identity. I celebrate this in my work.  

Christopher's book list on opening your eyes to wildlife

Christopher J. Preston Why did Christopher love this book?

How can you not already love these underwater giants? But I didn’t know much about them before reading Gigg’s love letter to our undersea cousins. They live by breathing air and giving birth like we do, but most of their lives takes place in a hidden, watery world.

The horror our species inflicted on whales during commercial whaling became more repulsive as Giggs uncovered the layers of whales’ complexity and sociality. I learned that arthritis sufferers in the nineteenth century would bathe in holes cut into whale carcasses for their curative powers. I also tried to imagine an animal with blood vessels big enough for a child to crawl through and a heartbeat that can be heard through the water for over a mile. 

By Rebecca Giggs,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Fathoms as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

WINNER OF THE ANDREW CARNEGIE MEDAL FOR EXCELLENCE IN NONFICTION
WINNER OF THE NIB LITERARY AWARD
FINALIST FOR THE KIRKUS PRIZE FOR NONFICTION
HIGHLY COMMENDED IN THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR WRITING ON GLOBAL CONSERVATION

A SUNDAY INDEPENDENT BOOK OF THE YEAR

'There is a kind of hauntedness in wild animals today: a spectre related to environmental change ... Our fear is that the unseen spirits that move in them are ours. Once more, animals are a moral force.'

When Rebecca Giggs encountered a humpback whale stranded on her local beach in Australia, she began to wonder how the lives of…


Book cover of Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth
Book cover of It Came in the Mail
Book cover of Stuck

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,593

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in whales, Ireland, and cats?

Whales 40 books
Ireland 311 books
Cats 208 books