Additional information
by Stephanie Marie Roberts (Author)
Four-and-a-half-year-old Liam loves all Marine Creatures, but particularly SHARKS.
Liam's fantasy is to be able to embark on underwater ocean adventures and talk to Sharks. One sunny day, when he goes fishing with his Dad, he meets Dearborn, a Great Whale Shark. To Liam's great surprise his eyes begin to shine with amazing magical beams, which enables him to talk to Dearborn!The Big Shark tells him he is a special Shark Boy and they have been waiting for him to come to their world.
Together with his Granddad, Liam embarks on a Marvelous Adventure full of fun in the Deep Sea, with Goutomi the Japanese Stingray, Maximillian Forbes, the very posh Lion Fish and Pufferbee the little Prickle Puffer-fish!
Brian Read
Healthy Mum's Magazine
5-star rating
30/10/19
Liam Shark Boy
Review by Brian R. on 30 Oct 2019
- Book Style: Toddler and Kids Story book
- Reading Level: 3 (Reading Alone due to: Length of book and some descriptive vocabulary)
- Reading Length: 10-15 minutes (FYI - we never account for toddler questions) Illustration: Fun, cartoonish, cute
- Age Target: 1-8 Years of Age
When reviewing this book, I was concerned about the sheer length of the story. However, as I got into the story, I found that the author had presented the story in beautifully constructed stand-alone segments. Those segments make it incredibly easy to read this book with a toddler, as it's just like a new story (with the same characters) every couple of pages. What's more, the book appears long (with 48 pages), but the font is large, and the illustrations provide interesting pauses for the young reader. What you're left with is a book that's really well written for toddlers and children alike.
Brian Read - Children's Books
There are several things to be impressed with in Liam Shark Boy. One of my favorite things about the book was the fact that...it was filled with facts!
There are easy 2-3 facts per page that I, as a parent, learned during the story. What's more, I know my child was learning 5-6 things per page and enjoying the in-depth knowledge he was gaining about the ocean and sea life in general.
Another thing that I loved about the book was just how specific everything was. For example, it wasn't just a boat that Liam went on with his father. No, it was a Kingfisher Offshore boat. We weren't just talking about a Porcupine Puffer Fish (and his family), we were talking about Pufferbee and Pufferbee's grandfather, Grandpuff. It's this specificity that really helps with retention in toddlers, and I loved how this story was so intentional in its inclusion of specifics.
I think it's obvious from my review (above) that I really enjoyed Liam Shark Boy. Not only that, but my little boy enjoyed it just as much as I did, and isn't that what's important? He loved the magical story, the fact that Liam had super powers, and he loved all of the facts about the oceans and sea life. What's more, the story has been awarded a 2016 eLit Award in the Children's Books section, which should tell you all you need to know.
