Shark Week 2025 - Preschool Storytime

I'm back! 

You might have noticed I haven't posted much the last few months. There's a long, complicated story, but the short version is that I left my previous position due to a toxic workplace and severe burnout. I took a few months off to recover and prioritize my physical and mental health. I took a few trips, hung out with my fur babies, visited my kids, worked in my flower beds, read, started eating better and exericising again, and spent a lot of time re-evaluating my career and re-prioritizing my life. I considered leaving libraries altogether, but decided I wasn't ready to give up yet, and when I was ready I found a new position as a children's librarian at a different library where I felt I could maintain a heathier work-life balance.

I was excited that my first time doing storytime at my new library fell during Shark Week, as that is always such a fun theme to do! I was a little nervous, even though I've done over 2000 storytimes in my career, it's always different in a new place with a new community, new challenges, and requires a new routine.

I followed my standard preschool storytime structure, with a couple of minor changes. First, I switched from paper programs to putting the song & rhyme lyrics up on the tv screen, as well as announcements and expectations. While I like the idea of parents having a paper copy to take home and extend the storytime, the reality is that most of them not only don't take them home, but don't even really look at them during the storytime, and it's just a lot of wasted paper. Now that I have a large wall-mounted screen out of the reach of little ones, it made sense to make the switch now. 

The second change is hopefully temporary, but I'm back to having to do more simple paper crafts and/or coloring with markers/crayons than I'd like because this library currently doesn't have a collection of developmentally appropriate toys and activities like I had built up at my last library. Unfortunately, this library also doesn't have much of a budget for programming or any storage space, so I won't ever be able to build up the collection I had before, but I hope to at least add one or two building sets and some sensory toys, plus additional basic craft supplies.

I started with a short "Hello" song and welcomed everyone, introduced myself, asked all the kids' names, and went over expectations. Then we warmed up with a movement song, then settled for our first story with a lead-in song:

The Creatures In the Sea

The fishes in the sea go swim, swim, swim;

swim, swim, swim; swim, swim, swim.

The fishes in the sea go swim, swim, swim;

all day long,

crabs go pinch....clams go open and shut...octopus goes wiggle....
jellyfish go sting....sharks go chomp....

(let kids suggest other animals and motions/sounds)

If You're Ready for a Story

If you're ready for a story, stomp your feet.

If you're ready for a story stomp your feet.

If you're ready for a story, if you're ready for a story,

If you're ready for a story, stomp your feet.

turn around, clap hands, pat knees, sit down, say "shh", etc.

I chose Chomp: A Shark Romp by Michael Paul for our first book. 

This is a great narrative non-fiction picturebook that introduces children to a wide variety of sharks and is perfect for storytime. It has short, simple text that still reads as a story, with illustrations that are realistic enough to show the diversity among sharks without being too scary for more sensitive children. The kids and grown-ups really seemed to enjoy learning about all the different kinds of sharks.

I followed that with one of my favorite activities: "Five Little Fishies" using a shark hand-puppet and little felt fish finger-puppets that I made specifically for this rhyme:

Five Little Fishies

Five little fishies swimming in the sea,

teasing Mr. Shark, "Well, you can't catch me!".
Along swims Mr. Shark, as quiet as can be,

and CHOMPED! one fishy right out of the sea!

Four little fishies....three....two....one....

No little fishies, swimming in the sea,

just Mr. Shark, as full as can be!

Before I do this rhyme, I show them the puppets that I'm going to use, and instruct them to hold up five fingers on one hand to be their little fishies, and use the other hand to be the shark. I try to be really dramatic with the first little fish, and often get squeals of surprise and delight from the kids, who often ask to repeat the rhyme.

For our second book, I chose my favorite shark book of all times, The Three Little Fish and the Big, Bad Shark by Ken Geist and Julia Gorton.

This re-telling of The Three Little Pigs is perfect for storytime. It is super fun as a read-aloud, has bright illustrations, and all the repeated lines that the audience can say along with the presenter. On a personal note, I like that it was sister Kim, rather than brothers Tim or Jim, that had the best house. I also use it as a lesson to illustrate how bad it is for your teeth to bite things that are not food.

I followed that with another song about ocean creatures and the food chain:

Slippery Fish

Slippery fish, slippery fish; swimming in the water.

Slippery fish, slippery fish; gulp, Gulp, GULP!

"Oh, no! He's been eaten by an octopus!"

Octopus, octopus; swimming in the water.

Octopus, octopus; gulp, Gulp, GULP!

"Oh, no! He's been eaten by a tuna fish!"

Tuna fish, tuna fish; swimming in the water.

Tuna fish, tuna fish; gulp, Gulp, GULP!

"Oh, no! He's been eaten by a great white shark!"

Great white shark, great white shark, swimming in the water.

Great white shark, great white shark; gulp, Gulp, GULP!

"Oh, no! He's been eaten by an orca whale!"

Orca whale, orca whale, swimming in the water.

Orca whale, orca whale; gulp, Gulp, GULP!

"BUURRP! Whoops, excuse me!"

I had a third book planned, the classic Shark in the Dark by Nick Sharratt, but since the other two books were on the longer side and we were short-staffed that day, meaning I needed to cover the desk for breaks, I decided to stop there. I gave the literacy tip for the day, upcoming storytimes and programs, and then we sang a "Good-bye" song and I got them started on the after-storytime activities.

Activities 

1. Walk the Plank - I printed out some shark fins on cardstock and taped them to the floor around a wooden board, and drew water with sidewalk chalk. This is a fun way to work on balance, gross motor skills, and proprioception.
   
   
   
   
   
2. Ocean Painting w/Cotton Balls - I put out paper plates with different shades of blue, green, and white tempera paint and had the kids use cotton balls to daub circles of paint all over their paper, then they could add a shark silhouette to their ocean. This activity allows color and sensory exploration as well as using the pincer grasp and eye-hand coordination.
   
   
   
   
   
3. Puppets - I had three shark puppets that the kids could play with, using imagination, expressive language, and socio-emotional skills.

How It Went

This was my first storytime in six months, and it was a bit bittersweet. It really felt good to be back at it. I'm normally a fairly shy person, but I do enjoy the performative aspect of storytime and I really enjoy the feedback from the kids and their caregivers, and having more meaningful interactions than just handing out computer guest passes. But it also made me miss all my regulars that I had built relationships with at my last job. 

The storytime went really well, everyone was engaged and seemed to enjoy it, and I got a lot of 'thank you's and compliments from caregivers, which was nice confidence boost and confirmation that this is what I should be doing. I had a smaller crowd than I'm used to, but this is a small library in a primarily working-class neighborhood with a growing immigrant/refugee population. I'm really hoping over time with more outreach, community partnerships, and word-of-mouth I can eventually build up library use and program attendance by kids and families.

I also really missed the collection of developmentally-appropriate toys and activities I had built at my previous library! It is frustrating not to have any of that available here. I'm even considering buying at least one building set and some sensory toys from Lakeshore myself, as much as I'm against teachers and librarians having to buy supplies out of their own pockets. But then they would be mine, and I would always have them no matter where I might end up in the future.

Shark Week! - Multiple Programs

Although I'm not particularly crazy about or interested in sharks, I did used to enjoy Discovery Shark Week back when it was still educational and not sensationalized crap, and I discovered when I did my very first Shark-themed storytime that it does make for some great programming. Last summer we did a whole week, and it was so fun and such a hit that we did the same this year, and for the first time in a while it luckily coincided with the Discovery channel Shark Week. 

I had the following shark-themed programs and passive activities (programs described below, with photos):

1. Display of shark & other ocean-related books
2. Scavenger hunt & coloring sheets
3. Family Storytime
4. Elementary Explorers (ages 6-10)
5. Tween/Teen Shark Tooth Necklaces (ages 11-18)
6. Newport Aquarium with Live Shark (all ages, best suited for ages 8 & up)

Family Storytime 
We sang "Slippery Fish", did "Two Little White Sharks" (modeled after "Two Little Blackbirds") with finger puppets, "Five Little Fishies Teasing Mr. Shark" with puppets, and read Shark In The Park (now available in boardbook, but I sure wish they would re-release in hardback!) by Nick Sharratt and Shark's Numbers by Harriet Evans. Afterward, we had a visit from Mr. Shark (a coworker in an inflatable shark constume), and I had a few activities: sensory bin with water beads and toy sharks, dot painting sharks & other ocean creatures, and walking the plank (balance beam) over shark-infested waters (cardstock fins taped to floor with waves drawn using chalk). The kids (and grown-ups!) had a blast.

Elementary Explorers 
This is the one I really wanted to highlight here, because it was SO easy and so much fun! It turned out to be my favorite program of the week. Knowing this would be the last week of summer and I would be running on fumes, I took the easy way out and ordered these cute "Pet Shark-in-a-Jar" kits from OT. They were a bit pricey ($2.84/ea), but so cute! 

I first booktalked a few shark-themed books, both fiction and non-fiction, then showed a short slide show with pictures and a few facts of around 8 of the more unusual shark species. I followed that with a brief shark trivia quiz. Then we began working on our pet sharks in jars. I supplemented what came in the kits with sand and some tiny shells I had leftover from making beach slime last summer, which really added a nice touch. I also offered shark origami corner bookmarks as an additional craft, with printed step-by-step instructions with photos and a QR link to video instructions. While they worked on their crafts I entertained/annoyed them with corny shark jokes. That morning before work a "What Shark Species Are You" quiz coincidentally (or not) showed up in my Facebook feed. I wasn't sure if the kids would be interested, but they loved it! As they finished up their crafts, they would come up one at a time, and I'd help them go through the quiz, then take their picture next to the TV screen with their result.

I didn't have a huge turnout, as our numbers always drop by the last week, but it was nice have a smaller group for a change, more relaxed and calm, and those that came really enjoyed it. I was surprised at how much they liked the "What Shark Species Are You" quiz; one boy even made both his grandparents come in and take it, LOL!

Tweens & Teens 
Another easy program, making shark's tooth necklaces using waxed braided cotton cording, wooden beads, and pre-wired shark teeth. I did this same activity last summer with the younger kids, and it was a hit with all ages. I noticed a few kids wearing their necklaces the next day.

Newport Aquarium - Sharks!
The week culminated with a shark program by the aquarium, complete with a live shark! I was a little hesitant to book them, because at a previous job when a coworker booked them we expected 200 people, and ended up with at least 600 and had to turn many away! I did advanced ticketing, with 125 tickets (the limit set by the aquarium) made available to be picked up started the Saturday before the program. Almost 90 tickets were given out that first day, with the last 37 going out Monday morning. We had about 20 no-shows, and 2-3 walk-in families we were then able to accommodate, so it worked out just right! 

Next year I'm going to have them bring sting rays!

And with that, my summer is done, other than doing the prize drawings and putting together some stats and a highlight video. I'm doing storytimes this week, then going on vacation and taking a programming break for the rest of August!

SRP Week 7 - Shark Week!

I've been doing "Shark Week" with my storytimes for several years now, since long before it was cool and everyone was doing it. I also was using "Baby Shark" before the PinkFong version went viral (my son hates the song and blamed me for it going viral, LOL, as if I were some big influencer 🤣). I'm not even really that into sharks, but I used to like Shark Week on the Discovery Channel, back when it was more educational than sensational, and I found it to be a really fun theme to do, plus a way for the younger kids to get into the Shark Week frenzy (see what I did there?) in an age-appropriate way. I was originally supposed to do a whole big Shark Week program during the summer of 2020, but you know what happened to that. So I incorporated elements of what I had planned for that into my programs this year.

Under The Sea - Outreach Visit

Because I only have an hour in total for my monthly daycare visit, each session is short and sweet, and I don't get to see every class every time because the daycare would rather alternate than combine classes. I generally just have time to do one book and a couple of songs, but every once in a while when they are ready to start when I walk in and in a cooperative mood, I can get a second book in.

I just did Shark Week for my in-library family storytime, and I expanded that theme to include more general ocean-themed books in order to better cover the younger ages. I took the following books, but only ended up using a few:

• That Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
• How To Spy On A Shark by Lori Haskins Houran
• I Spy Under the Sea by Edward Gibbs
• Pop-Up Peekaboo Under the Sea by DK
• The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
• The Little Fish Who Cried Shark by Trish Phillips
• Ten Little Fish by Audrey Wood
• Face to Face: Sharks by Scholastic

I had also intended to take Misunderstood Shark by Ame Dyckman because I've been dying to read it, and thought the 4-5 year old class would be old enough for it (it's a little longer and the humor a little more sophisticated) but I went off and left my personal copy at home, and all of our copies were checked out at work. I was so mad at myself, because I really wanted to read that one!

Once again, the 2-year olds were outside the whole time I was there, so I did not see them at all, which has been how it's gone all summer. With each group I started with the "Hello" song, and ended with the "Storytime Is Over" song.

Pre-K Class (4-5 year-olds) 

I started by asking if anyone had gone to the beach this summer, and talking about what kinds of things we see at the beach. I then asked if anyone saw a shark, and if they would want to pet a shark. Some said yes, most said no. I asked them what they thought a shark's skin would feel like. Would it be smooth or rough? Slippery? Slimy? Prickly? Then I brought out my sandpaper shark prop and passed it around so everyone could feel it, and many were surprised. I also showed them pictures of the different types of shark teeth from the Scholastic non-fiction book pictured above, Face-to-Face: Sharks.

Then we started with everyone's favorite earworm, "Baby Shark" by PinkFong (video below). I personally prefer a slower version that I used to use prior to the PinkFong version being released and going viral, but since that's the one the kids all know, I used it.

After that, we were ready to settle down with our story song and read The Little Fish Who Cried Shark by Trish Phillips. Though this was not my original choice to read to this class, I do love the rhythm of the rhyming text and the kids love the pop-ups, especially the big shark at the end! I was going to also read This Is Not My Hat, but we ran out of time.

3-Year Old Class 

I didn't spend quite as much time on the discussion about the beach and sharks for this class, but did pass around the sandpaper shark to let them see what a shark's skin would feel like. 

Then I led into our book, I Spy Under the Sea, with our story song. This is a nice book for younger kids because it is short and simple and the clues, revealed by circular cutouts in the page, are easy. It might be a little too simple for many 3-year olds, but this class seems to be a bit less mature and has a shorter attention span than most of the 3-year old classes I have seen in the past. It was perfect for this group, and they really enjoyed it.

After that, I brought out my flannel board and "Five Little Fishies" felt set for a fun fingerplay inspired by the classic rhyme about five little monkeys teasing Mr. Alligator.

Five Little Fishies

Five little fishies swimming in the sea,

Teasing Mr. Shark, "You can't catch me!"

Along comes Mr. Shark, as quiet as can be,

And CHOMPED that fishy right out of the sea!

Four little fishies.....

They loved it so much, and begged to do it again, so we did. [Normally I do repeats songs and rhymes, but I'm forced to keep these outreach visits so short that I don't always have time.]

Toddler Class

The toddlers were playing outside, but I knew how much they loved "Baby Shark" and had promised to do it this month, so I didn't want to skip them. There was a nice shady spot with a mat, so we just had a quick storytime outside!

I started with "Baby Shark" to get their attention, and then sang "Slippery Fish", which they didn't know, but some did imitate the movements. 

Slippery fish, slippery fish; swimming in the water.

Slippery fish, slippery fish; gulp, Gulp, GULP!

"Oh, no! He's been eaten by an octopus!"

Octopus, octopus; swimming in the water.

Octopus, octopus; gulp, Gulp, GULP!

"Oh, no! He's been eaten by a tuna fish!"

Tuna fish, tuna fish; swimming in the water.

Tuna fish, tuna fish; gulp, Gulp, GULP!

"Oh, no! He's been eaten by a great white shark!"

Great white shark, great white shark, swimming in the water.

Great white shark, great white shark; gulp, Gulp, GULP!

"Oh, no! He's been eaten by an orca whale!"

Orca whale, orca whale, swimming in the water.

Orca whale, orca whale; gulp, Gulp, GULP!

"BUURRP! Whoops, excuse me!"

After that I brought out a pop-up, lift-a-flap book from our office collection, Peekaboo Under The Sea. That did not engage them at all, and it didn't help that one of the pop-ups had been completely ripped out of the book (I had broken my own rule and not carefully reviewed the entire book, only the first couple of spreads). I find that this toddler class, without having an adult 1-on-1 to help engage them in the story, does not ever do well with books, but I feel obligated to show at least one. 

I finished with my "Two Little White Sharks" rhyme inspired by "Two Little Blackbirds" (they were very interested in my fingerpuppets), then a last round of "Baby Shark", which they loved!

How It Went

Overall, it went very well. The preschoolers all were very engaged this time and enjoyed the stories and songs/rhymes; I just wish I had more time for them; 15-20 minutes isn't enough on the days they are really engaged. 

I am disappointed that the 2-year old classes haven't participated and the teachers have chosen to skip the storytime. I understand in the summer they need to go outside first thing in the morning, before it gets too hot, but I wish they'd be a little more appreciative of the services we provide as well. 

The toddlers are so cute and adorable, and I enjoy seeing them, but in all honesty I don 't feel storytime for kids this young in a daycare setting is very effective, and the time might be better spent giving the older kids a slightly longer session, so we could get the second book in every time. Without having a parent with them to interact with them 1-on-1 and help model engagement, reading books to them as a group just doesn't work very well. They do love music and songs, especially with hand motions, though, so I am going to have to re-evaluate what I do with them.

Shark Week! - Family Storytime

I have so much fun with the "Shark Week" theme every year! I do the Saturday storytime, which doesn't have a regular audience like the weekday storytimes do, and often people just happen to be at the library when it's time for storytime. Since many don't come specifically for storytime and often leave right before, I asked my teen volunteer if she could write a notice on the dry erase board in the storytime area, along with a picture of a cute shark to hopefully get people to stick around for storytime, and she did a great job, as you can see above.

We started with our welcome song, and then I introduced the subject, and we talked a little about sharks. I used the non-fiction book Face to Face: Sharks from Scholastic to show them how the size and shape of sharks' teeth varied, depending on the size of the shark and what its prey is. I also passed around a prop I made to let them get an idea of what a shark's skin feels like. Most think it would be slimy or slippery, because it's a fish, but it's actually very rough and feels a lot like sandpaper due to its dermal denticles. I cut out a shark shape from gray sandpaper and added shading and details with a colored pencil and sharpie, and mounted it on cardstock so they could all feel it.

Then we led into the first book with our story song. For our first book I decided on one of my favorites, The Little Fish Who Cried Shark! by Trish Phillips, a pop-book that is a retelling of The Boy Who Cried 'Wolf'.

Naughty little Sprat loves playing tricks on everyone, especially scaring them by yelling "Shark!", but in the end he learns that sharks are NOT a laughing matter. Told with rhyming text that has a great rhythm for reading aloud and wonderful pop-ups, this is a story that is sure to engage. Unfortunately this book is out of print, but the used copy I bought was in pretty good condition.

After that we sang a song that features some of the same ocean creatures that were in our book.

Slippery Fish

Slippery fish, slippery fish, 

Swimming through the water.

Slippery fish, slippery fish, 

Gulp...gulp...gulp!

"Oh, no! He's been eaten by an ...."

Octopus, tuna fish, great white shark, enormous whale (Gulp, gulp, burp)

With younger kids I simplify it by just saying "swimming" each time, rather than using a different word for each animal as in the original.

For our second book I chose a new non-fiction picture book that shows many different sharks, categorized by contrasting characteristics, Chomp: A Shark Romp by Michael-Paul Terranova. The artwork is not so realistic, which makes it a better choice for younger or more sensitive audiences.

[Another one I like is How To Spy On a Shark by Lori Haskins Houran, which explains how scientists study sharks in a very accessible way.]

And of course we couldn't do a Shark Week storytime without singing "Baby Shark". There is a slightly slower version I've always used in the past that I like better, but the PinkFong version is so well known, I figured it best to go with that.

I started using a version of this song several years ago, before it went viral, and my son said he blames me for how popular is is. I'm flattered he thinks I'm that influential 😂.

For our final story, I chose a classic, Nick Sharratt's Shark In The Park. This one is great when you need something short without a lot of text, plus it is very interactive. Timothy Pope takes his new telescope to the park, where he keeps thinking he sees a shark, though each time it turns out to be something else. Eventually it's time to go, and he leaves, declaring that there is no shark in the park. But, did he miss something?

If you like this one, there is also a little-known sequel, Shark In The Dark.

We ended with a closing song, and I set out supplies for the optional craft.

Craft

Knowing I'd likely have a small crowd and people are often in a hurry to leave in the summer, I kept the craft very simple. I found this "big mouth shark" printable template at "Easy, Peasy, and Fun" and printed it out on white cardstock, then provided crayons and an example.

First you color your shark, and draw any other scenery and details you would like to add. Then fold back along the line of the upper jaw. Next, fold down until the upper jawline meet the lower jaw. Fold/unfold to reveal the sharks big mouth and potential meal!

How It Went 

I had a decent crowd and we had a lot of fun, though I was a bit distracted and disturbed when about half the audience got up an left after the first book. I've never had this theme not be a huge hit, so I was very confused at first, and wondering if it was me. But after thinking about it and talking with my supervisor, I think it is just a weekend storytime in the summer thing. People have other activities planned, and most did not plan on attending storytime or know that we had one, and just happened to be there. I think they just decided to stay for part of it, then have to leave because of other plans. Also they may not have anticipated that storytime was more than just reading one story. Do any other Saturday librarians see this same phenomenon??

I also got to wear my shark print dress and shark tooth earrings! Just call me Ms. Frizzle :)

Shark Week 2018 - Even More Picture Books About Sharks

I didn't put together a list last year as I didn't think there were a significant number of new shark books to add, but this year I was really hoping to add some new material to my usual "Shark Week" repertoire, so I searched our catalog and I did find a few new picture books (links to my previous two lists are at the end):

Misunderstood Shark by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Scott Magoon; April 24, 2018. Orchard Books. 48 pages. Ages 4-8.

This book is right up my alley with it's dark humor and sprinkling of factual information. The filming of an underwater show is interrupted by a shark, who seems to be on the verge of eating a poor fish on live TV! But, when he realizes he has an audience, he swears he is misunderstood; he was only showing the fish his loose tooth. He finally convinces everyone he is just misunderstood, only to reveal his true self in the end. Funny, but definitely for older kids due to the dark humor and length.

Smiley Shark by Ruth Galloway; March 1 2017 (first released in 2003). Tiger Tales. 32 pages. Ages 3-7.

This is a cute story for the younger or more sensitive kids. Smiley Shark is trying his very best to make friends, but his well-intentioned smile just scares everyone away because of his huge teeth. But then one day, the others are caught in a fisherman's net! Can Smiley Shark's teeth save the day? The ending is a slight twist from what most people are likely to expect, so ask the audience first how they think Smiley can help, and see what they come up with.

Benny Shark Goes to Friend School by Lynn Rowe Reed, illustrated by Rhode Montijo; July 11, 2017. Two Lions. 32 pages. Ages 3-7.

Benny is not very friendly; in fact, he is rather grouchy, rude, and a bit of a bully. But he soon realizes that he is lonely without friends to play with, and tries to make friends with the other sea creatures by ordering them to play with him. Janice Jellyfish kindly explains that's not how it works, and takes him to Friend School, where he learns to share, be polite, and listen. But, when the ultimate test of friendship comes, will Benny make the right choice? 

There Was an Old Mermaid Who Swallowed a Shark! by Lucille Colandro, illustrated by Jared Lee. March 27, 2018. Cartwheel Books. 64 pages. Ages 4-8

Like all the others, this book is mostly pure silliness with a nice rhythm and rhyme, but this one also sprinkles in a few facts, with more factual information at the end. Kids who are familiar with this series will especially love it. Though I like the idea of facts being sprinkled in, they interfered with the rhythm a little bit. I liked how it ended with it all being a daydream and nobody in danger of dying.

The Pout-Pout Fish and the Bully-Bully Shark by Deborah Diesen, illustrated by Dan Hanna; September 5, 2017. Farrar, Straus, and Giroux. 32 pages. Ages 3-7.

Mr. Fish and his friends are having fun, until a bully shark comes along. Can Mr. Fish find the strength to speak up for himself and his friends? This has a similar rhyme and rhythm to the original, and has a good (if a bit heavy-handed) message, but lacks the magic of the first book and doesn't have the catchy, repeated phrases. It would be better for a lap-read than a group read aloud.

Big Shark, Little Shark by Anna Membrino, illustrated by Tim Budgen; May 9, 2017. Random House Books for Young Readers. 32 pages. Ages 3-6.

I don't normally use early readers for storytime because they are so small, the text is short and choppy, and some of them are 50-60 pages long, but I would make an exception for this one. I think this would would work for storytime for a small group of toddlers and just-turned 3-year olds. It is short, and has very simple text focusing on contrasting terms as the two sharks try and fail at catching lunch, until they work together.

Shark Nate-O by Tara Luebbe & Becky Cattie, illustrated by Daniel Duncan; April 3, 2018. Little Bee Books. 40 pages. Ages 4-8.

This is probably one of my favorites of this year's finds, and I am sad I didn't get the chance to use in in storytime (but there's always next year). Nate is a little boy who loves sharks and knows quite a bit about them, but surprisingly, Nate doesn't know how to swim. The story follows Nate as he learns to swim, eventually joining the swim team!

There are references to various species of sharks throughout the story, followed up by two pages of facts at the end. But my favorite thing about this book are the references to the two most well known shark movies. The title is obviously a nod to the campy, so-awful-it's-funny Sharknado movie franchise, and there are also references to the movie that started it all, Jaws; Nate apparently lives in the town of Amity and at one point he tells his swim teacher that "We're going to need a bigger float". 

I love it when children's materials include a few jokes for the adults' benefit as well. This book is a bit longer and probably best suited for older preschooler and school-aged kids, and would be great for family storytimes with plenty of adults to appreciate the references.

For more books about sharks, check out my previous "Shark Week" bibliographies: 

• Shark Week 2015 - 10 Picture Books About Sharks
• Shark Week 2016 - 10 More Picture Books About Sharks

For non-fiction books to learn factual information about sharks, visit your local library and look in the 597.3's.

Shark Week Storytime Plan

This is the first year since I started doing storytime 4 years ago that I won't get to do a "Shark Week" storytime, because I changed jobs and as it works out, I won't do a storytime in my new job until regular programing resumes in September. I'm a little bummed, as it's one of my very favorite themes, but it couldn't be helped.

However, I DO have the "Shark Week" storytime plan that I prepared for the interview that got me the new job. It uses components I've used in previous Shark Week storytimes, plus a couple of new additions.

Storytime always starts with our welcome song, then I have several things to include as part of the introduction. First up is the shark puppet above  to greet the kids with his toothy grin, and many kids will want him to "bite" their fingers. Then I would use a non-fiction book like this one to show some different kinds of sharks and share a couple of interesting facts.

Next, I have a couple of things for "show & tell". One is a small collection of fossilized shark teeth I found while vacationing on Manasota Key, Florida, and the other is something I made to let the kids get a sense of what a shark's skin feels like. Many assume it would be smooth, possibly slippery or even slimy because sharks are fish, but in fact it is rough and feels much like sandpaper. I searched everyone and finally found dark gray sandpaper and cut out a shark shape and glued it to a piece of cardstock and added detail and shading with a white colored pencil and a sharpie. The kids can then "pet" the shark and feel its rough "skin".

After that is my usual lead-in song, "If You're Ready For A Story".

The book that I read for my interview is one I've done many times, and have so much fun doing, The Three Little Fish and the Big Bad Shark by Ken Geist and Julia Gorton. It's obviously a re-telling of the classic Three Little Pigs, but I think is even more fun. I love all the repetition, which makes it easy for the kids to participate and say it along with you.

Another fun book is the classic Shark In The Park! by Nick Sharratt (or the sequel, Shark In The Dark). In this story, Timothy Pope is at the park, looking through his telescope; he looks up, he looks down, he looks all around. He keeps thinking he sees the dorsal fin of a shark, but it turns out to be something else. 

This is particularly good for younger kids, as the text is short and simple, and they can can pretend to look through their telescopes as well, and predict whether Timothy Pope really sees a shark, identify what it really is, and make the appropriate animal sounds.

I was excited when I first discovered this great pop-up shark story, that is also a re-telling of a classic folk tale, The Little Fish Who Cried Shark by Trish Phillips. (It is out of print, but I was happy with the two used copies I ordered from Amazon.) 

Little Sprat loves playing tricks, and his favorite is to yell "Shark!" and watch everyone scramble to hide. But he eventually learns that sharks are nothing to joke about! This one is slightly heavier on text, but it has a good rhyme and rhythm, and kids LOVE the last page with a giant pop-up shark!

A final book I had as an option for older kids is the latest installment of the There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a.... series that is perfect for a Shark or Ocean theme, There Was An Old Mermaid Who Swallowed A Shark by Lucille Colandro and Jared Lee. 

Older kids who know the original song love all the other versions, and love the pure silliness of them. This one has a few facts about the various creatures sprinkled in, with more detailed information in the notes at the end.

I have several fun songs to with these theme that I've used before: Baby Shark, Slippery Fish, and The Creatures In The Ocean Go.... (to the tune of "Wheels On The Bus", and let the audience suggest animals and sounds/motions to go with them). Then for my interview I made two new felt sets that I've featured earlier for "Flannel Friday". I'll show the pictures, and link to the original Flannel Friday posts for all the details.

Five Little Fishies Swimming in the Sea

Two Little White Sharks 

And finally, a craft. This is something new for me, as we did not do crafts in outreach storytimes since we did so many. I saw some that I liked, but did not think they were appropriate for the younger kids I would expect for this particular storytime, so I settled on this simple one that used a CD or similar circular pattern to create pieces to assemble into a shark that greatly resembles a certain literary shark.

 

While I haven't had the chance to put this exact plan into practice yet, evidently the hiring committee liked it, because I just finished my second week in the position! Right now I'm just working the desk, but will start regular programming in September, with one family storytime and one school-aged STEAM program each month.