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Shark In The Park!

Nick Sharratt's Cheerful, Colourful Rhyming Book

Jul 29, 2008 Arlene Kelly

This is a shark book with a difference - you'll need to look very carefully to spot him. Hopefully you won't need a telescope like Timothy Pope!

When you visit your local park, what kind of things do you see? Birds in the trees? Kids playing ball? Caterpillars crawling on the ground? Ducks in the pond? When Timothy Pope goes to the park with his brand new telescope, he’s determined not to miss anything. He looks at the sky. He looks at the ground. He looks left and right. He looks all around. He sees a big black fin. Surely it can’t be – a shark in the park!

Look Again Timothy

Whew! Thank goodness. It’s not a shark at all, just a friendly black cat with pointy ears. But if you look at that ear up close through a telescope it could be a shark’s fin. You can’t be too careful. If there is a shark in the park then people really should be warned. Ever on the alert, Timothy gets busy with his telescope again. He looks at the sky. He looks at the ground. He looks left and right. He looks all around. Oh no – not again! People of the park – beware the shark!

Are You Absolutely Sure?

Oh Timothy, it’s only the wing of that big black crow. Luckily the man walking his dog and the boy flying his kite aren’t scared away. The worm and the snail aren’t too pleased though; they don’t want to end up as a crow’s lunch, thank you very much. Right, better have one more look around, just in case. There’s a plane flying overhead, some pretty daisies on the ground, a funny looking statue with a hole in the middle. It really is a lovely day – even the bees and the butterflies are smiling. The only thing that could possibly spoil it is … yes, this time Timothy is absolutely POSITIVE, that is definitely a shark. Run, everybody!

One More Time

Well, not quite. Timothy’s Dad has combed his black hair into a fine fin shape at the front, but fortunately his teeth aren’t particularly pointy when he smiles. Timothy has done his duty and made sure the park is safe for everybody, so he and Dad head for home. Unfortunately there’s one place Timothy Pope forgot to check with his telescope – can you guess what it might be? Let’s just say the next time you visit the park to feed the ducks you might want to bring a LOT of extra bread.

Shark in the Park (Picture Corgi, 2007, ISBN 978-0-552-54977-6) is another winner from Nick Sharratt, a brilliant “you know what’s coming so shout it out really loud” interactive book.

The copyright of the article Shark In The Park! in Children’s Books is owned by Arlene Kelly. Permission to republish Shark In The Park! in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

Shark In the Park