The Shark God [Hardcover]

Rafe Martin (Author), David Shannon (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up

Rafe Martin and David Shannon reunite in this folktale interpretation of a dramatic flood myth set amidst the unmatched beauty of the Hawaiian Islands.

In a country whose ruler is cruel and whose people are hardened, two children remain warm-hearted and exuberant. One day after freeing a shark trapped in the shallows, the children are so excited that they touch the King's forbidden drum. They are thrown into prison, and no one will listen to their parents' pleas for mercy. So, at great risk, they go to the Shark God himself, and he takes retribution, causing a great flood that leaves only the good family behind, and clears the way for a better, kinder future.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

You could easily fall in love with just about any story that's illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist David Shannon, but that's doubly true for this mythic Hawaiian tale of justice and compassion from master storyteller Rafe Martin.

In an idyllic island paradise, two native kids save a shark that's become stranded in the shallows near their home, but just moments later they offend their hardhearted king and are condemned to death. Their parents beg for mercy but to no avail, and when even their neighbors refuse to help, they're forced to enlist some very unusual aid: Kauhuhu, the terrifying, shape-changing Shark God.

From the tanned, stoic face of the king to the 20-foot-tall, tattooed back of the Shark God, Shannon's rich colors and dynamic compositions serve well to pace Martin's iconic tale. The tension builds as the children's death sentence approaches, but with loving parents and a big scary friend like Kauhuhu, somehow you just know they'll be all right. (Ages 4 to 8) --Paul Hughes

From Publishers Weekly

Martin and Shannon (who paired up for The Rough-Face Girl) set an old Hawaiian tale about a shark who saves a family against a backdrop of images of ancient Polynesia. A brother and sister free a shark caught in a net and beat the news of their success out on the king's drum, a violation punishable by death. Answering their parents' pleas for justice, the powerful Shark God destroys the island kingdom with an immense tidal wave, delivering the children and their parents to a new home across the sea. Shannon's sun-drenched tropical landscapes sometimes recall Gauguin's, but his powerful Hawaiian figures, far from standing silently in their tranquil paradise, look ready to burst forth from the spreads. Martin's suitably myth-like prose gives the story appropriate grandeur (" `Prepare a canoe with all you might need for a journey,' said the Shark God. `Bring offerings to the temple. Do not fear. I will send a sign' "). Still more remarkable is the attention the book pays to the feathered garments, beautifully woven textiles and elaborate tattoos of old Hawaii. Ages 4-8.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Arthur A. Levine Books; 1st edition (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590395009
• ISBN-13: 978-0590395007
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,559,095 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Shark God!, November 25, 2007

By 

Lynn Ellingwood "The ESOL Teacher" (Webster, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Shark God (Scholastic Bookshelf) (Paperback)

Rafe Martin is a very nice writer of stories having to do with legends and stories. He is also a very nice man to meet in person and is great with kids. David Shannon is a wonderful artist and has drawn beautiful pictures. This story is about young children who touch the king's drum and are threatened by death. The shark god helps. It is a nice story.

3.0 out of 5 stars Ok story, great art, November 8, 2007

By 

Mr Nerd - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Shark God (Hardcover)

Though not bad, the story is short and overly simple, probably because the author altered it from the original legends and made it more Americanized. However the artwork is where this book really shines, and is probably worth the price on that alone. I bought it as a gift for my Godson who likes sharks.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My 6 year old son loves this story!!!, August 27, 2004

By 

J.L.O. (VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Shark God (Hardcover)

My son picked "The Shark God" as a reward for a reading challenge at his elementary school. He has requested this story be read and reread to him multitudes of times and has yet to tire of it. The story provides him a glimpse into a culture that he would not otherwise get. When we get to the page featuring the shark god, my son's eyes are big with awe. I like how Rafe Martin made changes to create a family that my son responds to. And I had not made the connection about the illustrator being the one who wrote and illustrated the "David" books, which all my sons love!! This would make a great gift book as the story has the excitement kids love and the education parents want.