Never Take a Shark to the Dentist by Judith Barrett and John Nickle
| Never Take a Shark to the Dentist by Judith Barrett and John Nickle | |
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| Category: For Sharing | |
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Reviewer: Jill Murphy
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| Summary: Jolly and reassuring picture book about silly situations. It's sheer entertainment and the delight is in the details. The familiar animals do have an American slant, however. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 32 | Date: July 2008 |
| Publisher: Simon & Schuster | |
| ISBN: 1847383203 | |
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Oh, this was fun. You might think it's fairly obvious that you shouldn't take a shark to the dentist, but what about sitting next to a porcupine on the underground? Or going shopping for shoes with a centipede? Or taking an ant on a picnic? Never Take a Shark to the Dentist is full of such absurd situations. It's not a worthy book, hiding a message behind its simple text and busy, interesting illustrations; it's sheer entertainment. And it's funny.
The delight is in the details. Everything is anthropomorphic, so the dentist is a kangaroo and it has to climb halfway up the rather fearsome shark even to get a glimpse into its even more fearsome mouth. Why is it best not to take a raccoon along to the bank with you? Well, duh. Obviously it's because the stripe across its face makes it look like a bandit. Even the lion has his hands up in abject surrender. And it doesn't matter how friendly you are with the giraffe across the road, if you take him to the cinema, his long neck will cast a shadow on the screen. I loved this page. The illustration folds out, and while the rest of the audience is craning to see past the shadow, the giraffe itself is as happy as Larry, watching the TV on the roof.
This is the kind of book you read together at bedtime - the text is so simple it becomes familiar and perfect for chanting together. The illustrations are humorous - bright and busy, with something new to look at on each reading. There's plenty of mileage.
My one - small - reservation is that there is a mix of zoo animals and familiar animals, but the familiar ones are tailored to an American audience. We have a grasshopper, a moose and a racoon, but we don't have anything much in the way of British wildlife. Still, this is little more than a nitpick of what is an immensely enjoyable and light-hearted picture book.
My thanks to the nice people at Simon & Schuster for sending the book.
Shark lovers will also enjoy Shark in the Park by Nick Sharratt while Dear Zoo by Rod Campbell gives similar entertainment. You might also enjoy ABC Dentist: Healthy Teeth from A to Z by Harriet Ziefert and Liz Murphy.
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You can read more book reviews or buy Never Take a Shark to the Dentist by Judith Barrett and John Nickle at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Never Take a Shark to the Dentist by Judith Barrett and John Nickle at Amazon.com.
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