Finding a Friend

by Traci Swain, Kadysha (Illustrator)

Overview

Meet Deep Blue - a happy, kind, lovable great white shark who is determined to find a friend, but she discovers that being one of the largest sharks in the world makes this a difficult task. She encounters a lot of candidates during her search, but finally realizes that she didn't need to look very far.

 

Shark Stories: Finding a Friend is sure to help develop important social skills, boost self-awareness, and build confidence - all while making cross-curricular connections. Join this energetic great white shark on her journey as she learns:

-How to be a good friend

-The importance of being kind

-Ways to show empathy

 

Debut author Traci Swain's descriptive text coupled with Kadysha's vibrant illustrations brings this story to life. This book shows us that with a little self-motivation and determination, along with help from others, anything is possible. Anyone searching for material to help with social-emotional lessons will consider Shark Stories: Finding a Friend to be a valuable resource.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781736480212
Publisher:	Letter Links Press LLC
Publication date:	05/18/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	8 MB
Age Range:	6 - 10 Years

About the Author

Traci Swain was born and raised in the South Bronx and spent summers in Talladega, AL. When she was 12, her day-camp class was assigned to write in a journal each day, and thus her love of sharing stories began. Traci started writing children's books to help connect young readers with topics that make them want to learn new things. She hopes her stories will help encourage a love of reading, inspire creativity, and build confidence and self-esteem while teaching empathy, inclusion and kindness.
Celeste was born as Celeste in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Her mother taught her how to draw and expand her imagination. Later, she became a journalist and moved to Córdoba, a beautiful place in the heart of the country. It was there she found her love for illustrations, and words, and became "Kadysha." Now she spends her days creating worlds and characters full of moons and dreams.

Editorial Reviews

2021-06-03
A great white shark tries to find a new friend in this debut science-centered picture book.

Deep Blue, a Carcharodon carcharias, doesn’t understand why everyone swims away from her. Using a clamshell computer for research and armed with advice from her trusty sea star companion, Cushy, Deep Blue determines she’ll spend the day making a new friend. But the fur seals and smaller sharks flee before she can join their games. When Cushy advises her to approach her next potential friends slowly, two brave penguins stick around to get to know Deep Blue, giving the shark, the sea star, and their new pals a chance to share science facts about their lives in and near the water. As Cushy and Deep Blue depart, the two warmly acknowledge that they are best friends. Deep Blue’s efforts may remind readers of the overly enthusiastic protagonist of Peter Brown’s You Will Be My Friend!(2011), while Cushy’s regular interjections of scientific names for different species and the exchange of facts are reminiscent of The Magic School Bus TV series. Swain presents the entertaining and informative story primarily through dialogue (shown in Kadysha’s bright digital illustrations as word balloons with a different color for each speaker), inviting readers to become immersed in the conversations. While all the animals retain some realistic features, Deep Blue and Cushy are the most anthropomorphized, particularly the shark’s expressively curled nose and purple headband.

Animal lovers will enjoy the facts in this whimsical tale about an inseparable duo.

Kirkus Reviews