Shark vs. Train
Barton, Chris & Tom Lichtenheld. Shark vs. Train. 1st ed. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company, 2010. Print.
Shark vs. Train is the story of two toys pitted against each other in different circumstances, but the toys take on a life of their own as they have the epic throw down of the toy box from diving to running a lemonade stand, bowling to in a library – as Barton and Lichtenheld wrote “it all depends….” At the end of the story Train and Shark are getting frantic as their perspective owners plunge them into greater and greater danger such as “sword fighting on a tightrope.” The illustrations are playful and engaging including small details along the way such as the little red caboose that has an opinion a time or two. The book basically shows how competition is based on the players’ strengths and that not all games are valid or safe; pride can only get you so far, and sometimes it can make us forget to turn around before it’s too late. Filled with hilarity at the skewed logic and wacky situations it is a fun filled read.
I like how the book throws the reader directly into the fray – even the bibliographic information is shoved to the back allowing the reader to continue without pause. Brought startlingly back to reality the authors have the toys arguing even in their toy box to perhaps gently blur the lines of imagination. The illustrations use line and action to lead the reader to race through the book, pausing only for moments to enjoy added detail but those who miss it the first time will be able to discover something new when the pick it up again. Although a very fun read there is small type in places that add to the humor and most situations are only one page making it hard to read in a large group since this could create frustration and confuse pacing. If it weren’t for these factors I myself was hoping to use it for my story time project.
I think the story would be a good illustration amongst children who are having difficulty getting along. Having them read the story together – if possible – could perhaps place things in subliminal perspective that could be brought to the surface with some gentle questions for insight from a teacher or teacher librarian.
Review:
. “Shark vs Train.” Booklist 15 Apr 2010: .Web. 4 Mar 2011.
Preschool-Grade 1. Maybe they haven’t pitted this exact pair against one another, but there’s little doubting young boys’ ability to spend hours and considerable blocks of imagination smashing different toys together in a knock-down, drag-out battle royale for romper-room supremacy. The opening spread shows two boys digging through a toy box, each pulling out a fearsome competitor. In this corner, there’s Shark (I’m going to choo-choo you up and spit you out); and in the other, Train (Ha! I’m going to fin-ish you, mackerel-breath). The bout gets progressively more ridiculous with each escalating shift in setting and rules. Early rounds in the ocean and on the tracks are split; Shark has the upper hand on the high-dive, and Train in giving carnival rides. Neither turns out to be much good at the Extreme Zombie-Squirrel Motocross video game (no thumbs) or sword fighting on a tightrope. Barton’s imaginative and wacky scenarios are knocked home by Lichtenheld’s ferociously funny artwork and will leave kids measuring up their dump truck and T-Rex for the next tale of the tape.
