Santa Jaws

by Bridget Heos, Galia Bernstein (Illustrator)

Overview

"A great white shark Santa brings treats to all the little shark pups in the ocean"--

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250244628
Publisher:	Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
Publication date:	10/26/2021
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	1,041,488
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.40(h) x 0.30(d)
Lexile:	AD600L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Bridget Heos is the prolific author of Stegothesaurus; Mustache Baby; Mustache Baby Meets His Match; I, Fly; and more than one hundred other children’s books. She lives in Kansas.

Galia Bernstein is an illustrator and author who also works in textile design and ceramics. She is the creator of I Am a Cat and Leyla, and lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Editorial Reviews

09/13/2021

A punny concept is expanded into full-fledged scenes of merriment in this jolly romp, which imagines various shark species preparing for Christmas under the sea and awaiting a visit from Santa Jaws, the kindly Great White in a red cap. Heos employs carefully crafted verse: As elfin sharks “Toil in workshops deep and dark,/ Making toys from shelly things—/ A seal that squeaks, a ray that stings,” other shark families sing carols by lantern (shark) light. “Then Santa boards his merry sled/”—depicted as the bow of a shipwrecked vessel—“Pulled by hungry hammerheads.” Bernstein adorns each sleek digital spread with glowing jellyfish and colorful coral, as well as green kelp “trees” decorated with sand dollars and shells as well as topped with starfish. An inviting, informational, and celebratory book for shark fans. Back matter features more information on the shark species pictured. Ages 4–8. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

2021-08-18
Sharks of many kinds enjoy a deep sea version of Christmas in this underwater holiday story.

Kids on land send their Christmas wishes to Santa Claus, but young sharks “line up for Santa Jaws,” a great white shark in a Santa hat who thinks all their wishes sound “delicious.” Deep in the workshop, elfin sharks make toys from shells. Horn sharks “trim the Christmas kelp.” Lantern sharks light the night as shark families sing carols. And on the big night, Santa Jaws rides in his sleigh, the prow of a wrecked ship pulled by “hungry hammerheads,” and delivers fishy toys for good sharks and rotten fish for bad pups. A final spread gives fun facts about the eight shark species that appear in the story. The text is delivered in rhyming couplets, and the running joke about Santa Jaws wanting to eat everything is explained in a concluding note about the munching habits of great white sharks. The colorful illustrations put the ocean theme to good use: The pictures are cartoony, but the blue and green color palette is decorated with realistically colorful shells and seaweed. Only the Santa hat and shark-fin–shaped stockings superimpose artificial red and white Christmas colors. The text is bouncy, and the endmatter is informative. While this ephemeral offering is unlikely to earn a permanent spot on shelves, it will glean chuckles and interest from a select group of youngsters interested in marine life. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

For readers dying for a shark-themed Christmas book. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews

"An inviting, informational, and celebratory book for shark fans." —Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher