Walter the Whale Shark: and His Teeny Tiny Teeth

by Katrine Crow, Hazel Quintanilla (Illustrator)

Overview

What do you do when you feel like you don’t fit in? Find something that makes you stand out!

Walter had spent all summer counting down the days to the first day of school. He couldn’t wait to make new shark friends and finally swim into his classroom for the first time. But the first class picture of the year changes everything. Walter realizes there is one BIG difference between him and his shark classmates. After his discovery, Walter spends his day trying anything he can think of to blend in with the other sharks, only to learn that the things that make us feel like we don’t fit in are the very things that make us stand out.

Children will love the beautifully illustrated under-the-sea setting in this dust jacket picture book that promotes self-love and acceptance.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781486718092
Publisher:	Flowerpot Press
Publication date:	07/07/2020
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	937,219
Product dimensions:	8.40(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Lexile:	540L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Katrine Crow has always loved words. Her love for writing and reading led her to study Journalism at the University of Missouri. After working as a reporter and magazine editor, Katrine moved from Missouri back to Nashville, Tennessee, to pursue a career in the publishing industry. She has since developed a passion for children’s books. In her free time, Katrine enjoys reading thrilling novels, spending time with her rescue dog, Bones, and exploring her favorite city with her friends and family one restaurant at a time.

Hazel Quintanilla has a passion for illustration. She has spent her life mastering a wide variety of media. She has worked on over twenty series in the US, England, and India. Hazel lives and works in Guatemala with her husband and their three cute dogs.

Editorial Reviews

"A timely celebration of individual difference."

"A heartfelt story for calming first day jitters and promoting confidence and individuality."

From the Publisher

2020-05-17
Walter feels out of place among the other sharks at school.

Walter’s been looking forward to school all summer, but a class photo has him in a panic: Everyone’s teeth are huge. How can Walter, with his “teeny tiny teeth,” make friends with the likes of Manny Mako and Greta Great White? The whale shark spends the morning worrying, but an idea strikes him at lunchtime. He scoops up some matching seashells to enhance his smile, but after one bite of his sandwich, they all come tumbling out. “Oh Mackerel!” His seaweed teeth are similarly unsuccessful, and his shrimp teeth flee (“SWIM for it!”) as soon as Walter opens his mouth to read aloud. Dejected, Walter heads home, where his mother waits with some reassurance: Walter doesn’t need teeth like the other sharks’ because whale sharks eat different food. (This important scientific fact is only hinted at in the plankton-and–chocolate chip cookies she serves Walter as an after-school snack.) “Having teeny tiny teeth doesn’t mean you don’t fit in. It’s what makes you special.” Quintanilla’s illustrations play up the other sharks’ big, pointy teeth (one precocious “sharky-gartener” even sports braces) and Walter’s roller coaster of excitement and disappointment/embarrassment. The other sharks laugh, seemingly at Walter’s expense. The variably weighted, sans-serif typeface may make it hard for new readers to parse some letters.

A timely celebration of individual difference. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews