Gilbert the Hero (Gilbert the Shark Series #3)

by Jane Clarke, Charles Fuge (Illustrator)

Overview

It's great fun having a baby brother - right? Well, not for Gilbert. His new baby brother, Finn, is too small to join in with any of his games. In fact, he's no fun at all - but big brother Gilbert's not going to let a killer whale eat his little brother... is he?

An exciting third book in the Gilbert series where Gilbert discovers that being a big brother can sometimes be fun after all.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780857076410
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster UK
Publication date:	01/05/2012
Series:	Gilbert the Shark Series , #3
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	10 MB
Age Range:	3 - 7 Years

About the Author

Jane is a regular contributor to poetry anthologies for children and is the author of numerous delightful picture books. She spent many happy years in the Netherlands working as a library assistant at an International School. Now Jane lives in Kent with her two sons and two Labradors.
Charles Fuge made his picture book début with BUSHVARK'S FIRST DAY OUT, which won both the Macmillan Prize and the Mother Goose Award. Since then he has illustrated more than thirty picture books, including SOMETIMES I LIKE TO CURL UP IN A BALL, which was highly commended by the judges of the 2001 Kate Greenaway Medal. He lives in Dorset.

Editorial Reviews

PreS-K—Gilbert the shark takes his little brother, Finn, out to play despite his friend Rita's complaints that the youngster will be no fun. The "sea-saw" catapults the younger fish too far and too hard. Finn takes a kick to the stomach by a sea urchin shell being used as a soccer ball. He eventually finds some fun in a seaweed swing, but that's boring for the older fish. When another fish zooms by on a skate fish, Gilbert and Rita take off on the skate. Along comes a gigantic whale, looking for lunch. Gilbert manages to free his brother from the swing one step ahead of the creature, and they hide out in a sunken boat. The whale chomps down on it, gets a mouthful of splintered wood, and retreats. Then Gilbert turns to tell Rita and Finn that the whale has gone, but can't find them. They're just hiding and emerge with a big "Boo!" That's their version of "tide-and-seek," a game that even Finn can play. The story depicts the universal frustration older children often feel when a younger sibling tags along. The mostly green illustrations are ink and watercolor with minimal details of underwater life. Gilbert's fans will enjoy this new title.—Ieva Bates, Ann Arbor District Library, MI

School Library Journal

Big brother shark thinks quickly and saves the day.

Gilbert the great white shark wants to take his new little brother, Finn, everywhere with him, but Gilbert's friend Rita Remora wants nothing to do the tyke, who, in her opinion, is too small to play with them. Indeed, Finn struggles on the see-saw and is too slight to play finball. He does like the seaweed swing, which Ritaand Gilbert strap him into so that they can go skating. All of a sudden, the sea goes as dark as night and all the fish scatter; it's a killer whale! And he spots Finn, still strapped into theswing. Gilbert grabs the seaweed holding Finn just in time, but the whale doesn't give up. He chases Rita, Gilbert and Finn, who speed to a sunken fishing boat and elude the orca. All seems safe, but Gilbert gets a little panicky when he can't find Finn and Rita. They pop out of a barrel, laughing. Rita and Finn have become friends, and the trio swims off together. This slapdash story of brotherly love is not improved by undistinguished illustrations or a chase scene that feels an awful lot like any number of animated kids' movies. The copyright page includes interesting facts about sharks, but their placement makes them likely to be overlooked.

This fish story smells stale already. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews