Shark and Bot: (A Graphic Novel) - Hardcover

Yanish, Brian

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 059317335X ISBN 13: 9780593173350

Publisher: Random House Graphic, 2020

Synopsis

A shark and a robot are unlikely friends. But in this hilarious young graphic novel series, what makes you different makes for an EPIC friendship.

Can a shark and a robot really be friends? What makes us different also makes for EPIC friendship in this hilarious new graphic series, perfect for reluctant readers, and fans of Narwhal and Jelly and Bad Guys.

Shark loves water. Bot short circuits if he goes near water! Shark recites poetry. Bot recites facts. Can these two really be friends? They're both a little awkward... They both love comics... And just wait til you see their dance moves when they confront a playground bully. Readers won't just laugh along, they'll identify with real-life issues of making friends, accepting differences, and dealing with bullies in the best way possible.

About this title

About the Author

Brian Yanish is a professional illustrator and author. He has worked for Jim Henson Productions in Los Angeles, trained as a special effects moldmaker, written and performed comedy, designed educational software, and sold his own line of T-shirts. His first book, ScrapKins Junk Re-Thunk, was published by Holt/Ottaviano in 2016 and he has a picture book, Pirate Chicken: All Hens on Deck! was published by Sourcebooks in 2019. He currently lives in Rochester, NY. Find out more at www.brianyanish.com

Reviews

Gr 1–4—A great white shark and a robot become unlikely-but-fast friends in this new chapter book graphic novel. New kid Shark, who just arrived from Australia, feels a little like a cartilaginous marine superpredator out of water, despite his outgoing nature. Bot lives exactly 0.185 miles from the playground but is "not good at meeting people." At first they have a little misery competition over who's worse at making friends, but as they discuss why they can't be friends with each other (spoiler: water), they discover that they're both fans of the same superhero book series, in which a half-dozen mutated doughnuts (the Glo-Nuts) pool their unique abilities to save the world. There's enough wackadoo humor here to make the upbeat, slightly hamfisted story go down without a hiccup, especially when Shark and Bot take on a squad of territorial playground kids. Among their rejected strategies are "fight" and "ask nicely"—they finally settle on challenging the bullies to a dance battle. Fun side pieces are sprinkled throughout, such as the Glo-Nuts' origin story and an eight-page comic book adventure, instructions for doing Shark and Bot's winning dance, and graphs and lists that give readers practice with various ways to present information. Color art that is a little clumsy in spots is easy to decipher, accessible, and energetic. Though most characters are nonhuman, a few people appear (Bot remembers playing video games with a brown-skinned girl; one of the bullies includes a white boy). VERDICT Shove Shark and Bot into the bottomless pit that is the elementary schooler's appetite for funny graphic novel chapter books.—Paula Willey, Enoch Pratt Free Lib., Baltimore

Edition details

• Publisher: Random House Graphic
• Publication date: 2020
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 059317335X
• ISBN 13: 9780593173350
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 96