Santa Shark: A Great White Christmas

by Mike Lowery, Mike Lowery (Illustrator)

Overview

Here's Santa as you've never seen him before — get ready for a hilariously, fintastic underwater holiday story, from New York Times bestselling creator Mike Lowery!

Jingle shells, Jingle shells, jingle all the waves! Oh, what fun it is to dive in a sea horse-driven sleigh!

While humans may count the days until Santa Claus arrives, deep in the ocean, Edgar, a goofy, toothy young shark prepares for the arrival of Santa Shark! But Lotta, his sidekick crab pal, is not as convinced. Still, Lotta helps Edgar get his home ready. In a race against time they prepare a tasty snack for Santa, write Christmas cods to their friends, and sing Christmas corals! Will Edgar find a way to make sure everything is just right for Santa Shark’s big night?

With laugh-out-loud humor, puns galore, and tons of holiday spirit, this story is sure to become an instant classic, beloved by parents and children for many holidays to come! So put up your Christmas reef and get ready to celebrate a Great White (Shark) Christmas from our New York Times bestselling and beloved creator, Mike Lowery!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338803952
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	10/03/2023
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	351,712
Product dimensions:	8.70(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Mike Lowery is a New York Times bestselling illustrator who has worked on dozens of award-winning books for kids, including The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School, Mac B., Kid Spy series by Mac Barnett, How to Be a T. Rex, and many others. He's also written several books, including the Graphix Chapters Bug Scout series, Everything Awesome About series, and Santa Shark. Visit him online at mikelowery.com.

Editorial Reviews

08/28/2023

“Jingle shells, jingle shells, jingle all the waaaves!” A shark named Edgar and crab bestie Lotta prep for Santa Shark’s arrival in this goofy comic whose underwater setting proves ready made for abundant punning. First, Edgar educates Lotta, describing the would-be visitor as residing “at the North Pole in Finland,” where he builds toys with “eelves” and delivers gifts with a sleigh led by “magical seahorses.” Though Lotta seems skeptical, the duo proceed, writing “Christmas cods,” singing “corals,” and hanging a starfish atop a kelp-stalk tree, all loosely inked in Lowery’s characteristic style. When Edgar worries that a lack of snow will keep Santa Shark from visiting, Lotta imaginatively saves the day with help from some aquatic friends, making for a winning conclusion that emphasizes camaraderie as the key component of a happy holiday. Ages 3–6. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Santa Shark: A Great White Christmas:

"An ocean of delights awaits readers in this sea-lebration. Kids will fin-ish quickly and clam-or for more." — Kirkus Reviews

"A shark named Edgar and crab bestie Lotta prep for Santa Shark's arrival in this goofy comic whose underwater setting proves ready made for abundant punning... all loosely inked in Lowery's characteristic style." — Publishers Weekly

Praise for Out in the Wild!: A Graphix Chapters Book (Bug Scouts #1):

* “With swarms of goofy jokes and adorable characters, the brief chapters fly by. Readers will most certainly be willing to affirm the first line of the Official Bug Scout Oath: 'All bugs are awesome and that is a fact.'” — Publishers Weekly, starred review

Praise for Everything Awesome About Sharks and Other Underwater Creatures:

"An immersive dunk into a vast subject — and on course for shorter attention spans." — Kirkus Reviews

Praise for Everything Awesome About Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Beasts:

* "Lowery sandwiches a populous parade of very simply drawn dinos between a history of prehistory and a roundup of diverse topics... readers will come away with a fairly sound understanding of just how dinosaurs fit into the whole history of life on this planet... A manic but solid series kickoff." — Kirkus Reviews, starred review

Praise for Mac Undercover (Mac B., Kid Spy #1), illustrated by Mike Lowery:

A New York Times bestseller!

An Amazon Best Book of 2018

"Lowery's cartoony spot art, in black, green, and orange, provides additional historical and cultural information and frequently supports the narrative." — The Horn Book

"Barnett and Lowery team up again in this second outing of international espionage mystery with royal overtones... this is a nifty mystery for young readers and a worthy sequel to the first." — Kirkus Reviews

* "Barnett and Lowery bring the funny to the serious art of espionage in a perfect interplay of text and illustration... Told with a sense of nostalgia for 1980s history and pop culture, the silliness and originality of this book will hook young readers." — School Library Journal, starred review

From the Publisher

09/01/2023

K-Gr 3—It's the most wonderful time of the year, and Edgar the shark cannot wait! As he prepares for a "verrrry special guest," Edgar's best friend, Lotta the crab, speculates who it could be. After several failed guesses, Edgar reveals that it is, of course, Santa Shark. He proceeds to tell his pal all about the Christmas traditions in conjunction with this legendary holiday figure of the ocean: Santa Shark builds toys with the "eelves" and his sleigh is pulled by "magical seahorses," to name a few. However, a skeptical Lotta is far from convinced. Edgar decides to show her the Christmas spirit and joys of the holiday season, including baking cookies, hanging decorations, and mailing cards to loved ones. As their preparation concludes, they are still missing a key ingredient to making sure Santa Shark visits: snow! Lotta hatches a plan to make sure Edgar has the best Christmas ever as this sweet story of friendship and holiday cheer concludes. With bright colors, speech bubbles, dialogue balloons, and basic panels to break up text, this is a fun introduction to graphic novels for younger readers, and adults will also enjoy the various puns comically sprinkled throughout. VERDICT Appealing to primary readers across several grade ranges, especially if they are shark lovers.—Kerra Mazzariello

School Library Journal

2023-09-29
Santa Shark is swimming to town!

Edgar the shark is tingling with excitement. It’s late December, and he’s preparing for Santa Shark’s arrival. His bestie, Lotta Crab, hasn’t heard of Santa Shark but quickly gets caught up in Edgar’s fervor as he explains—and loudly sings about—what the preparations entail in an uproarious account brimming with sly marine-themed puns, from “Jingle shells” to “We fish you a Merry Christmas.” Some clever puns may sail over kids’ heads (the “Christmas cods” include messages like “Let minnow if you have a good Christmas” and “carp-e diem”). Apart from the zingy text, there’s plenty to capture young readers’ attention. Dynamic illustrations highlight the protagonists’ expressiveness and lively participation in a variety of activities; some images are set as captioned panels within larger illustrations. The eye-popping text is literally all over the place, graphic novel–style. Fonts are in various sizes and colors and are capitalized throughout. Kids will giggle at the sight of the white-bearded, bushy-browed Santa Shark, who rides a sleigh pulled by seahorses. Bug-eyed, snaggle-toothed Edgar, sporting a sweater festooned with snowflakes, is a hilarious hoot, and bright-red, antennae-eyed Lotta is a loyal charmer who creates a wondrous surprise for Edgar that brings their undersea observance to a perfect close.

An ocean of delights awaits readers in this sea-lebration. Kids will fin-ish quickly and clam-or for more. (Picture book. 5-9)

Kirkus Reviews