Summary: What happens when a shark goes head to head with a train. It really depends on what activity they decide to do as a competition. Shark and Train compete in everything from a diving contest to a pie eating contest. They sell lemonade and give carnival rides. They have swimming contests and ping pong contests. It brings new meaning to the fun things in life to watch Shark and Train try to out-do each other. What do Shark and Train really look like? Find out at the end of the story!
Citation:
Baron, C. (2010). Shark vs. train. New York, NY: Little Brown.
My Impression:
This is absolutely one of the most adorable picture books of all times. Shark and Train are fun to watch as they enter into competitions with each other. One wins and the other loses. Then the other wins and the first one loses. It excites readers to watch Shark and Train go back and forth. Tom Lichtenheld adds a delightful flair to the story with creative well thought out illustrations. Lichtenheld's illustrations are so detailed that new things can be found with each reading. Readers are sure to love this story. Parents who read aloud will love it too.
Professional Reviews:
Kirkus Review starred
"With two boys at a toy chest, one clutching a shark and the other a train, thus begins the most unlikeliest of competitions. Who will win--shark or train? Well, it does depend on the situation. If underwater, the shark will surely triumph. But at roasting marshmallows? The train beats the shark's soggy mess every time. From one wacky circumstance to the next, from bowling to hot-air ballooning, there is always a clear winner. Until, suddenly, there is not. Both the shark and the train are not very good at playing hide and seek. They also stink at video games ("Sure would help if we had thumbs"). Just when the competitors can't bear it any longer, it's time for lunch. The boys toss them carelessly aside--until next time, that is. Lichtenheld's snarling shark and grimacing train are definitely ready for a fight, and his scenarios gleefully play up the absurdity. The combatants' expressions are priceless when they lose. A glum train in smoky dejection, or a bewildered, crestfallen shark? It's hard to choose; both are winners. (Picture book. 3-6)"
Kirkus Reviews. (2010, March 15). [Review of the book shark vs. train, by
C. Barton]. Retrieved from http://www.kirkusreviews.com
Publishers Weekly
"This is a genius concept-the kids' equivalent of a classic guy bull session, centering on two playmates' favorite toys. So, who's better-Shark or Train? That all depends. When trick-or-treating, Shark is the clear winner, thanks to his intimidating smile ("The clown is very hungry," he says, as a bowl of candy is poured into his bag). But in a marshmallow-roasting contest, Train triumphs by virtue of his built-in, coal-stoked rotisserie. Just when readers will think the scenarios can't get more absurd (bowling, a burping contest), the book moves into even funnier territory: hypotheticals in which neither comes out on top (their imposing presences make them ripe targets for getting shushed in a library, and their lack of opposable thumbs means neither is very good at video games). Lichtenheld's (Duck! Rabbit!) watercolor cartoons have a fluidity and goofy intensity that recalls Mad magazine, while Barton (The Day-Glo Brothers) gives the characters snappy dialogue throughout. "That counts as a strike, right?" says Shark, having eaten an entire lane of bowling pins. "This is why you guys have a bad reputation," retorts Train. Ages 3-6. (Apr.)"
Publishers Weekly. (2010, February 15). [Review of the book shark vs. train,
by C. Barton]. Retrieved from http://www.publishersweekly.com
Uses within the Library:
1. Interview with a Character: Have students choose either the Shark or Train to develop an interview that they would present to their character. Students will write the questions and then answer them as if the Shark or Train would if they could talk in real life. Allow the students to dress up as reporters and either the Shark or Train and conduct the interview while it is being filmed by the "camera man" you appoint.
2. Biography Chart: Have students develop a biography chart describing the life of Shark and Train. Allow the students to use the boys at the end of the story as their focus of the biography if they desire. Display the students' biography charts in a special location within the library.
Book Cover: Book cover courtesy of the Mansfield Public Library.
Retrieved from http://www.manfield-tx.gov/departments/library/
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