How to Make a Shark Smile: How a Positive Mindset Spreads Happiness

by Shawn Achor, Amy Blankson, Claudia Ranucci (Illustrator)

Overview

"[How to Make a Shark Smile] teaches that a gesture as simple as a smile can have a profound effect on others."—Gretchen Rubin, New York Times bestselling author of The Happiness Project and Happier at Home

A story about choosing happiness and the ripple effect of a positive mindset. Includes seven happiness exercises at the back of the book to encourage kids to fit them in every single day!

Ripple the dolphin just moved to a new aquarium and is excited to make some friends! But as she swims around, she notices the water is still and quiet. The eels have no zing. The neon fishes don't glow. The seahorses aren't horsing around. Everyone's too afraid of a mean shark named Snark!

Ripple is determined to show her new friends that they shouldn't be afraid—it's all about mindset. They can choose to be happy!

But just as the aquarium begins to liven up, Snark the shark shows up ready to prove Ripple wrong. Can Ripple get Snark to smile too?

Bestselling authors and happiness experts Shawn Achor and Amy Blankson invite you to dive in and learn how you can spread joy to those around you with Ripple and her friends.

Perfect for:

• Parents who want to introduce their children to a positive mindset, help them build self-confidence, and set them up for personal and professional success
• Educators and librarians who need a funny, engaging picture book to include in their growth mindset curriculum and collections

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781728225807
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	02/25/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	922,935
Lexile:	AD570L (what's this?)
File size:	16 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Shawn Achor spent over a decade at Harvard University studying the principles of happiness before penning the international bestseller, The Happiness Advantage. He is also the founder of Good Think. To teach his happiness principles to younger readers, he collaborated with his sister, Amy Blankson, to write Ripple’s Effect.

Amy Blankson is a positive leadership consultant and among her many achievements, has been named a Point of Light by Presidents Bush and Clinton. As a mother of three, she hopes Ripple’s Effect will inspire young people to make a positive difference in their world.

Claudia Ranucci is an illustrator born in Rome and based in in Madrid. She has a degree in Graphic Design and Illustration from the Istituto Superiore Industrie Artisitche, in Urbino, Italy. In 1998, she co-founded the studio, SPR/MSH, where she has worked as a designer and publisher. Her books have been published in France, Portugal, China, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Brazil and the United States. Since 2008 she has given workshops to adults, children, and families on storytelling through illustration. She considers herself a versatile, lively, and inquiring crafter and enjoys discovering new paths.

Read an Excerpt

"'You see Ripple?' her trainer asked. 'Dolphins were made to play and laugh and smile. It's part of who you are— but happiness is also a choice. Things may not always go our way, but we can choose how we see our world and make it a better place because of who we choose to be. Now let's go have some more fun.'"

Editorial Reviews

"A compelling and age-appropriate story on the mechanics of a positive mindset." — School Library Journal

"Children would have fun adopting Ripple’s game to try and make one another smile. This is a story of inclusion and could be used as a read-aloud to accompany discussions about bullying." — School Library Connection

"Teaching young children to use the power of positive thinking shows them that they have more control over their environment than they realize." — Amy Blankson from "PBS Parents: Raising a Positive Child in a Negative World"

"How to Make a Shark Smile is a sweet and inventive take on thwarting a bully. Ripple’s good nature and quick wits make this a fun and helpful read for anyone who’s had to deal with a 'Snark.’" — Nancy Coffelt, author/illustrator of Aunt Ant Leaves Through the Leaves

"How to Make a Shark Smile teaches kids that it’s never too soon to learn about the power of a smile, and that facing fear with friendliness could turn a bully into a buddy" — Cristina Kessler, author of The Best Beekeeper of Lalibela

From the Publisher

01/01/2020

PreS-Gr 2—Ripple the dolphin is excited for his first day at a new aquarium. The fish are all hiding and sad. Ripple asks Bob the blowfish what is wrong. The fish have mistaken Ripple for Snark the shark, the meanest creature in the aquarium. Ripple challenges Bob to stare at his smiling face and not smile himself. Bob does smile and, impressed with Ripple's joyous presence, he busies himself spreading smiles among other fish. Snark happens along and Ripple challenges him to smile. Try as he might to resist, Snark eventually gives in to his first toothy shark giggle. Wide-eyed and cute cartoon characters, produced digitally with bright colors, will appeal to young readers. The prose is mainly conversational and plentiful, which may make it challenging to read aloud to a wiggling group of children. However, the message of infectious positivity affecting the energy of those around you is delivered with enough humor and charm that young listeners should respond. The end pages contain tips for helping yourself and others develop a happiness mindset. VERDICT A compelling and age-appropriate story on the mechanics of a positive mindset. A solid addition to most libraries.—Mindy Hiatt, Salt Lake County Library Services

School Library Journal

2019-11-24
As the song goes: "Gray skies are gonna clear up / Put on a happy face!"

With an assist from Blankson, the author of the positive psychology guide The Happiness Advantage (2010) takes his message to children in this newly illustrated reissue of the 2012 title Ripple's Effect, originally illustrated by Cecilia Rebora. A smiley dolphin named Ripple, new to the aquarium, is eager to make friends. Alas, she discovers that the other sea creatures live in fear of Snark, a bullying shark. Undeterred, Ripple teaches everyone a game in which players must stare into another's face for seven seconds without smiling. Naturally, this elicits belly laughs among the aquarium's denizens. When Snark investigates the newfound attitude of the formerly frightened, he's pulled into the game, and thanks to his inevitable smile, all bullying is henceforth forgotten. Whether readers believe Ripple's declarations that happiness is a choice (thereby circumventing the existence of depression and mental illness) is rather beside the point. Children are meant to glean from this book methods that help increase their own happiness, illuminated by the book's backmatter. Alas, the story eschews practical methods of handling bullying. Nor, for that matter, does it confront the idea that sometimes a bully can experience great happiness…from the misery of others. Colorful, peppy art perfectly plays up the book's un-nuanced can-do attitude.

Does this book have what it takes to help kids in any practical way? Go fish. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews