I'm a Shark

In the midst of bragging about his fierce reputation, a shark reveals his insecurities. "If there were a dinosaur here... you know what he would be? Scared," grins the shark. "What about a creepy spider...?" asks a red crab. The shark's toothy smile turns to an anxious frown. "Creepy spider! Yuck! Is it on me?" he shudders, until reassured that no spiders are near. The shark scoffs at fearsome things--the dark, a squid, a bear--yet quakes at the mere mention of spiders ("SPIDERS? Who said I was afraid of spiders?"). Shea styles the conversation as playground one-upmanship, with the shark in the neurotic kingpin role. The goggle-eyed sea creatures, painted in rough swaths of black ink on saturated backdrops, are associated with distinct typefaces to identify the speakers (bold white for the shark, black for the others). Suggestions of spiders aside, Shea's shark has the unbridled confidence of the hero of his Dinosaur vs. Bedtime. It's almost impossible not to imagine the shark facing off against the egotistical squid of Kevin Sherry's I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean for undersea supremacy. Now that's scary. Ages 3-6. (May)

PreS-Gr 1--This shark is not afraid of shots (delivered by a swordfish), scary movies (a color photo shows a young boy fishing in a pond), or even dinosaurs--if they were still around. Shark's weakness soon becomes evident when he mistakes multiple creatures and lures for spiders, of which he's terrified. He even claims that he can make a giant squid ink himself in fear, but a spider would make him "swim away as fast as my fins would take me. That's not scared--that's smart." Finally, the braggart asks his fish and crab friends what makes them afraid, and, when they say sharks, he ends the tale with, "That's silly." The oversize but spare drawings of a boastful young shark declaring his bravery guarantee giggles. This nonsensical story is a tad long, but it is a good jumping-off point for discussing fears.--Gay Lynn Van Vleck, Henrico County Library, Glen Allen, VA