Lark the Shark

Product Information

Clark the Shark is trying to get ready for his first sleepover, but he’s worried because it will be his first time sleeping outside without his glow-fish night-light. He and his friends play games until it’s time to go outside. Clark’s friends tell scary stories and Clark’s friends all start to feel a little scared. Clark realizes that all of them are a little bit afraid of the dark. Soon they all find a way to help themselves not be afraid of the dark anymore. The dynamic duo, Natalie Newman and her son Henry Newman have made waves in the children's book industry with their delightful and engaging " Lark the Shark" series. The books have been featured on the popular BBC News children's program, Newsround. The feature highlighted the Newman duo's passion for writing and the inspiration behind their lovable protagonist, Lark the Shark. Read the full feature here. A serious book addict, Bruce wanted to be a children's book author since he was in 4th grade (right after he got over wanting to be a pirate, Tarzan, and Daniel Boone). Today he's the author-illustrator of over 70 seriously funny books for kids, so some dreams do come true. An eco-minded Redbridge school student who published a book about a friendly litter clearing shark is hoping his story will inspire people to start the New Year by joining green initiatives in the borough. Henry Newman from Clore Tikva Primary School, in Ilford, co-wrote ‘Lark the Shark’ with his mum Natalie, after being inspired by his school homework about pollution.

Clark the Shark" has brightly colored watercolor illustrations that depict a shark's struggle with being himself while at school. Clark even says, "Loved everything too much...too much shark." When his teacher realized Clark was upset, she approached him and reminded him, "There's a time and place for everything.....the rule is to stay cool." Once Clark realized that rhymes might help him remember the rules for school, "Maybe if I make a rhyme, I will remember every time." After Clark worked on several different rhymes for the rules, he remembered them all fairly well. Things were getting better and then everyone was afraid of the new kid, Sid the squid. Clark made sure that the other students welcomed him, "He just wants to play. Let's find a way!" Clark makes up a new game and the Sid settles down. Clark reminds him, "If you want to come to school, you've got to stay cool." Clark learns to calm his own excitement enough to be able to help the new student. He is happy to have helped and continues to remember his rhymes to keep him cool all the time. The major themes in this story are overcoming your fears and friendship. Clark was very afraid of the dark but thought of ways that would help him get through the night without his night light, and he did it! But he couldn't have done it without the help of his friends. He was nervous that they would make fun of him for being scared of the dark, but instead they all came together and helped each other overcome their fears, which is what true friendship is all about. I can relate to this book because I too was scared of the dark when I was young. I always had my night light and was scared to sleep without it. Sometime during the night I would wake up and be scared and even run and jump into bed with my mom and dad. But just like Clark, I eventually overcame my fear.

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The main themes of this book are self control, friendship, and good behavior. Clark has some impulse control issues, but with the help of his teacher, he is able to reign his energy in and become a better student and friend to his classmates. This book made me smile as I read it because I can relate Clark to many kids I know. They have good intentions, but it can often be hard for some children to stay on task and do what is expected of them. Clark is a very happy character, and his efforts to do the right thing are uplifting and inspiring. Clark the Shark is nervous to be sleeping outside for his first sleepover with his friends. His rhyme helps him stay cool: “Take heart, be smart, sharks aren’t afraid of the dark.” But while telling scary stories his friends make a revelation of their own. Does sharing your fears help?

The character Clark is having his first sleepover, and him and all his friends are going to sleep outside in the dark. Clark is afraid of the dark, but to help him face his fear he creates a rhyme for himself- "Take heart, be smart, sharks aren't afraid of the dark". Clark and his friends realize that it's okay to have fears, and they get through their fears through creating a rhyme together. As well as classroom rules and feelings, a teacher upon reading this book, might what to pause to pose questions about characterisation, illustrations and other elements key to their learning such as whether Clark was being a good friend? How did he try to behave himself eventually? As Clark tried to control himself using rhyme, this could lead pupils onto the identification of rhymes throughout the story: This book is a fantastic read for children. It has a very entertaining plot, but also teaches some great lessons in rhyming, word play, and manners. The book tells the tale of a friendly shark who cleans up litter from the sea and promotes environmental awareness. There's also some great word play with nonsense words like "upsy-downsy", "spinna-ma-jig" and "tail-whump-a-lumpus". These words are very exciting for kids and encourage word-play that can be very good for language development.This could then lead on to some written activities like making up their own rhymes, including illustrations. They could do this either independently, in pairs or in groups. Get tips and advice on reducing, re-using and recycling to help protect the environment: https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/our-streets/ Again the authors challenge certain misperceptions we may hold. Sharks are often ‘given a bad name’– but most are no threat to us (unlike humans can be to them). They form a vital part of underwater ecosystems. Lark has a kind, caring nature, and is surrounded by caring friends who just want to give him a lovely surprise. And while Wonda may be a killer whale, she is utterly adorable! Get your copy! Clark the Shark" by Bruce Hale is about a young shark who LOVES school. He gets so excited in class jumps up and down in his seat, he smells all the good food at lunch and ends up eating it all at once, and he plays so hard at recess that he sometimes breaks toys. After a while, Clark's friends don't want to sit near him, eat lunch with him, or even play with him. When a discouraged Clark asks his teacher what to do, Mrs. Inkydink says that "There's a time and place for everything" and that Clark needs to remember to "Stay cool". Clark eventually figures out different rhymes that help him calm down while at school. At the end of the day, a new student comes to class. This student is even bigger than Clark and plays even harder. Clark plays with the new student as hard as he can and then teaches him how to "Stay cool". Okey dokey. I must confess that I actually watched this as a video on YouTube, mainly because Chris Pine was reading it! :D (Chris Pine is one of my favourite actors.) I did actually enjoy this story, which was about a shark who's very rowdy and over-enthusiastic in his school-classes. The moral of the story is, that you can enjoy things but you must show consideration towards others and their feelings. (I think a lot of people, adults included, could learn a lot from this tale to be honest, hehe.)