Shawn Loves Sharks

Starred review from February 15, 2017
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)

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May 1, 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

Copyright 2017 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

March 1, 2017
Grades K-2 Shawn is crazy about sharks. He reads about sharks, watches shark movies, and acts like a shark. On the playground at recess, for instance, the brown-faced boy opens his jaws wide and chases after his classmates, especially Stacy, who screamed the loudest. But when his teacher assigns animals at random for a class project on predators, none other than Stacy gets the great white shark, while Shawn's stuck with the leopard seal. It gets worse when Stacy learns that sharks prey on seals, and now it's her turn to terrorize Shawn. Meanwhile, Shawn learns about some cool seal facts, like their slinky speediness, and after taunting Stacy one afternoon, he gets a new perspective on his behavior, too. Subisak's vibrant, action-packed scenes feature a diverse cast of animated characters, lots of comical references to sharks hidden in the illustrations, and one over-the-top cat, which often gets caught up in Shawn's shark games. The playful combination of thought-provoking narrative and dynamic artwork makes this a great icebreaker for conversations about bullying and friendship building.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)