My mother in law works at the Northwest Museum of Art and brought us this book when our son was young. We would pour over the beautiful illustrations. It is a beautiful traditional story from Northwest Indians of animal and human transformation and tells the story of a boy who washes up on a strange shore after being swept up in a storm. The people are also whales and take him to their giant home. the pictures of where they live and the traditional art spread throughout the book make this one I will keep forever. ( )

Storm Boy is one of my favorite books! The text itself is easy to read and the story is captivating, but the bold illustrations are what make this book so special. Paul Owen Lewis does a wonderful job translating this oral story to print form, staying true to the Native American artwork of the Pacific Northwest. ( )

Summary:
This is a story of a chiefs son who went fishing alone and encountered a terrible storm. He is taken in by villagers who live under the sea. He finally makes it home and realizes it has been a year. This is a great story about the Pacific with great illustrations.

My reaction:
I found some of the images to be a little overwhelming and would be sure to read this to an appropriate age level.

Classroom Extensions:
1. This would be a great story to read during a thematic unit about Eskimos and you have the children try to write a short story about their own lives where they felt alone.
2. You could also have them to try paint a scene from the story. ( )

Illustrations could be a little scary. An eskimo boy lost in a storm-drawn down to a village under the sea-he comes back to his family after a year/day spent with the underwater village. Like Where The Wild Things Are for eskimos. ( )

Storm Boy features spectacular artwork and a wonderfully executed story, delivered with a thorough understanding of the Pacific Northwest native culture that informs it. Paul Owen Lewis has artfully captured the magic inherent to Northwest native myths, and the helpful "Author's Note" at the end of the book does a great job of placing this brief story in a larger historical and mythological context. A perfect read all-around. ( )