The Shark God

Publishers Weekly

Martin and Shannon (who paired up for The Rough-Face Girl) set an old Hawaiian tale about a shark who saves a family against a backdrop of images of ancient Polynesia. A brother and sister free a shark caught in a net and beat the news of their success out on the king's drum, a violation punishable by death. Answering their parents' pleas for justice, the powerful Shark God destroys the island kingdom with an immense tidal wave, delivering the children and their parents to a new home across the sea. Shannon's sun-drenched tropical landscapes sometimes recall Gauguin's, but his powerful Hawaiian figures, far from standing silently in their tranquil paradise, look ready to burst forth from the spreads. Martin's suitably myth-like prose gives the story appropriate grandeur (" `Prepare a canoe with all you might need for a journey,' said the Shark God. `Bring offerings to the temple. Do not fear. I will send a sign' "). Still more remarkable is the attention the book pays to the feathered garments, beautifully woven textiles and elaborate tattoos of old Hawaii. Ages 4-8. (Oct.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Children's Literature

On a small tropical island two children set a shark free after it becomes entangled in a net. Elated by their act of kindness, the children dare to touch the ceremonial drum forbidden to all but the king. For this they are sentenced to die. Pleas for mercy to the king from their parents and the villagers go unanswered. In desperation they go to the cave of the great Shark God. Looming over them, menacing and cruel, he remembers the children's generosity and devises a plan to set them free and punish the hard-hearted king and his people. A perfect blend of story and illustration makes this a winner. Martin has loosely based his story on a Hawaiian legend and has created a powerful and fearsome Shark God. Author's notes credit his sources and indicate his own inventions. Full-page paintings bring to life the terrible creature, in sharp contrast to the lush tropical setting. A palette of rich hues combined with unique light and perspectives make these illustrations worthy of Caldecott consideration. 2001, Scholastic, $15.95. Ages 6 to 10. Reviewer:Beverley Fahey

School Library Journal

Gr 1-4-Combining threads from a Hawaiian legend and his own creative imagination, Martin has woven a tale of two kindhearted children who aid a shark in distress and, later, are condemned to die after running afoul of their inflexible king. Shannon's vigorous illustrations provide a dramatic backdrop for this well-told tale of cruelty and compassion as the merciless king faces the implacable justice of the Shark God. The author provides a source note explaining his reasons for the changes in this retelling and mentioning the illustrator's research on Oahu. From the vivid cover depicting the Shark God assuming a gigantic human form to the laughing sound of the royal drum as the liberated family sails off to a new home, this is a winning package.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

The creators of Rough Face Girl (1992) and The Boy Who Lived With the Seals (1993) belatedly get together for another strongly told, strikingly illustrated folktale. Detailing his own additions in an appended note, Martin reworks an old Hawaiian myth into a story of mercy rewarded. After freeing a trapped shark rather than allow it to be killed, two children celebrate by tapping on the king's drum, which is forbidden. When the hard-hearted king condemns them to death, their parents pay a call on Kauhuhu, the Shark God, who summons up a great wave that destroys the village, frees the children, and washes the reunited family on its way toward a distant, kinder home. Shannon peoples his island scenes with sturdy, tattooed, mahogany-skinned figures, but Kauhuhu, magnificently huge and ferocious, is by far the most powerful presence here: human in form, but with silver skin, decidedly sharklike features, and an immense toothy mouth tattooed across his shoulder blades. A slight confusion at the end identifies the father as a canoe-builder for the first time calling him by that name, but there's enough joy, terror, and drama here to captivate any reader or listener. (Picture book/folktale. 7-10)