Misunderstood Shark

About this book

Every beachgoer knows that there's nothing more terrifying than a... SHARRRK! But this shark is just misunderstood, or is he? In a wholly original, side-splittingly funny story, New York Times bestselling author Ame Dyckman and illustrator Scott Magoon take this perennial theme and turn it on its (hammer)head with a brand-new cheeky character.

The filming of an underwater TV show goes awry when the crew gets interrupted by a... SHARRRK! Poor Shark, he wasn't trying to scare them, he's just misunderstood! Then he's accused of trying to eat a fish. Will Shark ever catch a break? After all, he wasn't going to eat the fish, he was just showing it his new tooth! Or was he? Explosively funny, extraordinarily clever, and even full of fun shark facts, this surprisingly endearing story gets to the heart of what it feels like to be misunderstood by the people around you. With a surprise twist ending, our Misunderstood Shark will have kids rolling with laughter!

Reviews

Praise for Misunderstood Shark:

"Bob the jellyfish is the host of an underwater TV show, and while taping his latest segment, he's interrupted by a hungry shark chasing a cute fish! Time to panic? Not quite...At every initially terrifying turn, dubious Bob takes the opportunity to share a shark fact and dispel a myth...the over-the-top humor, comical asides from the TV crew, and Magoon's boisterous, candycolored artwork, in thick lines and cartoonish shapes, will lure in many a reader. The sneaky shark facts will go down easy in this uproariously silly picture book." -- Booklist

"Magoon's cartooning is both funny and visually striking as the toothy, scenery-chewing Shark plays to the camera and zips through the green-blue water, barely resisting his primal urges. And the playful typography used for Dyckman's rapid-fire dialogue makes her blooper-reel humor even funnier." -- Publishers Weekly

"A maligned shark steals the show to explain just how wrong his fellow fish are about him in Dyckman and Magoon's debut collaboration...[Dyckman] gives ambiguity the narrative spotlight with well-honed tension prolonging readers' indecision. Meanwhile, Magoon's flair for underwater illustration also allows a shark's redemption and his prey's suspicion to both live on the page. Readers will need to decide for themselves if Shark is really as scary as he seems or if misunderstandings have colored our opinions. Fun and playful…or so Shark would have us believe." -- Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Ame Dyckman's Horrible Bear!:

3 Starred Reviews

Junior Library Guild Selection

* "Molly Bang's Sophie finally has a worthy shelf-mate for absolutely spot-on characterizations of mood. VERDICT: Highly recommended for picture book collections." -- School Library Journal, starred review


Praise for Ame Dyckman's Wolfie the Bunny:

4 Starred Reviews

Parents Magazine Best Fictional Picture Book 2015

The Huffington Post Best Picture Books 2015

ALSC Notable Book for Children

School Library Journal Best of the Year

NYPL 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

Wilde Award Best Picture Books Ages 4-8

A Bank Street College Best Children's Book of 2016

* "Interspecies adoption puts a fresh spin on the new-baby theme... A treat of a picture book." -- The Horn Book, starred review


Praise for Ame Dyckman's Tea Party Rules:

3 Starred Reviews

Ezra Jack Keats New Writer Award

Junior Library Guild Selection

Dolly Parton Imagination Library Selection

* "Dyckman's (Boy and Bot) and Campbell's (Flora and Ulysses) story is like a pretty petit four with an unexpectedly zingy filling." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review


Praise for Ame Dyckman's Boy + Bot:

3 Starred Reviews

Please Touch Museum’s Kids’ Choice Award

SCBWI Crystal Kite Award

IndieBound’s Kids’ Next List

Amazon Best Picture Book

NYPL’s 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing

* "Dyckman’s debut offers pitch-perfect pacing and gentle humor... As Boy and Bot would say, it’s ‘affirmative’ that this book will be a hit." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review


Praise for Scott Magoon's I Will Not Eat You:

"The full-bleed illustrations are saturated with rich, dark colors but manage never to be scary. With several humorous twists, lots of imaginative play, and illustrations reminiscent of Maurice Sendak’s in Where the Wild Things Are, this is a surefire read-aloud hit. VERDICT Highly recommended for storytime and one-on-one sharing." -- School Library Journal

"Magoon’s bold, angular, digitally rendered drawings capably juggle action, suspense, and comedy." -- Publishers Weekly


Praise for Scott Magoon's Breathe:

Huffington Post Best Books of 2014

A Chicago Public Library Best Book of 2014

A Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2014 for Best Read Aloud and Best Books for Animal Lovers

PBS Best of 2014

* "Magoon’s digital art captures the colors and crisp, airy light of the Arctic setting; cartoon lines and wide eyes present creatures above and under the ice as friendly, rounded and smiling... Richly composed and sweetly appealing -- just right for baby storytimes as well as one-to-one sharing." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review