Shawn Loves Sharks

by Curtis Manley, Tracy Subisak (Illustrator)

Overview

Shawn loves sharks.

He loves their dark, blank eyes.

He loves their big mouths full of sharp teeth.

And he loves pretending to be a shark and chasing Stacy around the playground.

Shawn loves sharks more than anything else in the world. But Predator Day at school is on Monday and Great White Shark isn't assigned to Shawn.

It's assigned to...Stacy.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781626721340
Publisher:	Roaring Brook Press
Publication date:	04/25/2017
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	AD490L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Curtis Manley grew up in Pennsylvania, where there were bears in the woods (and perhaps a few dinosaurs at school). But he never had to outrun sharks during recess—though he’s absolutely certain he could have. He is the author of Shawn Loves Sharks and Just Right. Curtis now lives near Seattle, Washington.

Tracy Subisak was known for running around the school yard as a wild horse in the second grade. She is an illustrator and designer living in Portland, Oregon. Shawn Loves Sharks is her first picture book for Roaring Brook Press.

Editorial Reviews

"Fun, quirky obsessions nurtured and celebrated."—Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"The playful combination of thought-provoking narrative and dynamic artwork makes this a great icebreaker for conversations about bullying and friendship building."—Booklist

From the Publisher

05/01/2017
PreS-Gr 2—Shawn loves sharks more than anything, except maybe pretending to be a shark and chasing his classmate Stacey around the playground. So when Shawn finds out about a class assignment on predators, naturally he wants to choose sharks, since he already knows everything about them, has watched every shark movie, and has "127 shark books." Shawn's teacher, however, has something else in mind when she has the students each select a predator at random from a bowl. Shawn is stuck doing his project on the leopard seal while Stacey gets to do hers on the great white shark. In the end, Shawn learns to open his mind to other animals and people as he helps Stacey discover all there is to know about sharks. This is a wonderful story with illustrations that reflect great emotion and jump off the page. The diverse characters are true to life and very childlike. VERDICT A good addition to any picture book collection, and a great choice for libraries with shark-loving patrons or one-track-minded students who need a little nudging to open up a bit.—Betsy Davison, Cortland Free Library, NY

School Library Journal

★ 2017-02-01
Shawn knows just about everything there is to know about sharks, but friendship proves a little trickier to grasp in Manley and Subisak's collaboration. Shawn, a light-skinned boy of color, loves sharks, and his love is deep—deeper than the waters in which sharks live, deeper than the gaze of their dark eyes. He loves their "streamlined shape" and their "big mouths full of sharp teeth," and he especially loves pretending to be a shark at recess, chasing classmates across the playground. When his brown-skinned teacher tells everyone that they'll be learning about the predator that they each pick from a bowl, Shawn can barely contain his enthusiasm for the project as he takes his place in line, reaches excitedly into the bowl, and confidently draws…a leopard seal. Across the room, Asian classmate Stacy has picked the great white shark, and no matter how much Shawn begs—grovels!—to trade, not only is he stuck with the seal, but he is also suddenly no longer the top predator on the playground. Manley's spare text is an excellent conductor for the dynamic energy built in Subisak's clean, open spreads as Shawn's passion for sharks spills onto the page. And as Shawn's fascination (and research skills) expands to embrace leopard seals, his exuberance for predators makes a surprisingly strong foundation for a new friendship. Fun, quirky obsessions nurtured and celebrated. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews