Misunderstood Shark: Friends Don't Eat Friends, written by Amy Dyckman, reviewed by Caroline Rabideau

Summary: Shark ate his friend Bob, the Jellyfish, but Bob didn't taste so good, so Shark threw him up. Bob is (understandably) offended that his friend Shark ate him. He demands an apology from Shark, but Shark doesn't understand. Yeah, he ate him, but he didn't chew, and he threw him up after. It was more like sending Bob on a tour of his stomach than actually eating him, so why does it matter? As Bob continues to ask for an apology, Shark becomes offended. Bob is harsh. Could this end their friendship? Maybe they both have things they need to apologize for? Do you really have to apologize just for hurting someone's feelings? Filled with fun facts about sharks, this book was adorable and so memorable; a great book to share with your students or family.

Straight Talk for Librarians: Okay, I loved every second of this book. Truth be told, I actually didn't know how it was going to end. I figured in the beginning, that shark would just apologize and the book would be over, but NO! Shark gets offended too! I remember these moments from working in an elementary school so well. When one youngster is angry, its so easy to make the other one feel bad, and then both people owe an apology to the other. I often found that students may not understand why. By making the characters sea creatures and not humans, the child may be able to identify himself as one character or another to better help him understand why he might owe his friend an apology. As if that wasn't enough, the book is packed with these tiny little facts. Did you know, when a shark throws up, it is able to turn it's stomach inside out to do so? Yuck! Or that sharks don't have bones? Their skeletons are made of

cartilage - like the soft stuff in a humans nose - but not the boogers!
I just don't think this book could have made me smile anymore than it did. It definitely has the awwww effect at the ending as well. I think this would be a great book to read in any elementary classroom when you're taking about being respectful of others or how and why you apologize. It would also be great to read at home when siblings or friends aren't getting along so well. At the end of the day, this book was a fun read, and would be great as an anytime read.