There’s a shark at my school by Sharon Boyce

Annie’s shark, Seymour lives in the family pool. Usually he is quite happy and cheeky and flashing his imperious teeth but one day he announces that he is bored by the pool and wants to go to school with Annie. Annie tries to camouflage the beast, taking him along to school in her trundle wagon, and her classmates try to guess what she has brought along. Suddenly Seymour is uncovered, and everyone is pleased, except Miss Bright who retreats to standing on her chair. But Seymour is hungry and the smell of food takes him to the canteen where the staff shake like jelly while he fills his belly.  

In rhyming pairs of lines, the story swings along, noting the mayhem being caused by the shark. But he is endearing and readers will love the images of Seymour doing very unshark like things. When Annie goes to get her wagon, he finds the sandpit and builds a lovely sandcastle, but filling the moat sees water filling the classroom instead. Children splash everywhere with Miss Bright trying to take control of the situation. In steps Principal Mac, and things go back to normal, with Seymour and Annie once more in the pool sipping their drinks, concluding that this is the best place to be and school was not such a good idea. 

A wonderful read aloud, the rhyming story will win gales of laughter, while kids will enjoy predicting the rhyming words, offering some of their own suggestions. And along the way learn a little of where sharks really belong. But what fun to have one in the pool!

Themes: Humour, Sharks, School, Humour.

Fran Knight