Noah's Shark

by Alan Durant, Holly Surplice (Illustrator)

A silly and unconventional take on the story of Noah and his ark that will delight both children and adults alike  Noah was fed up with the people in his world making a right mess of everything. He built a big boat to get away in, and invited his animal friends along—couples only. The animals lined up by the boat, two by two. All except for Mrs. Shark, who came alone. It seemed she had accidentally eaten her husband. Would Noah be able to trust her on his boat?

48 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 2009

About the author

Alan Durant is the author of books for a wide age-range, from picture books such as Burger Boy to top-end teenage thrillers (Blood, Flesh and Bones). Having worked as a copywriter at Walker Books, he is now a full-time author.

He's married, with three children and lives just outside London. He does a lot of school visits throughout the UK and abroad and also runs writing workshops.

Reviews

[Mark Jamieson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story tells a slightly different version to the biblical story many will know, and is a light hearted and amusing book. Noah gathers up pairs of all the animals, but when Mrs Shark arrives she announces she has accidentally eaten Mr Shark but can she come aboard anyway. Noah decides to trust her and allows her on-board, though I'm sure everyone can work out what happens with a hungry shark on a ship. It is a silly fun story that younger children will enjoy and would be great for a story time type book. It may however lead to children finding contradictions if they know the biblical story but could lead to a good discussion about it, as well as pointing out the importance of everyone getting along together.