Review - How to Make a Shark Smile

How to Make a Shark Smile
by Shawn Achor & Amy Blankson
illustrated by Claudia Ranucci
Date: 2020
Publisher: Little Pickle Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: NetGalley

It takes big actions to make big changes. Or does it? In How to Make a Shark Smile, residents of an aquarium learn that sometimes a smile is all it takes to make a world of difference. Awash with charming illustrations, this delightful tale will show children that happiness is a choice they get to make for themselves.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

My feelings about this book are a bit conflicted. On the one hand, it has adorable illustrations and an overall good message about gratitude and being positive. On the other hand, the way the book glosses over bullying and encourages children to put themselves in dangerous situations while simultaneously ignoring actual mental illness makes this a potentially problematic read.

As someone who has dealt with mental illness (and depression in particular), the idea that we can choose to be happy has always felt like a bit of a slap in the face. What happens when a child is told over and over that they could be happy if they just tried a little harder? Their self-esteem takes a hit, that's what. They start to wonder if there's something wrong with them because they seem to be doing all the right things, but they're still under a cloud. This book perpetuates that mindset, and takes it even further by conflating fear with sadness.

The other fish in the tank seem to have a very good reason to be wary and frightened of Snark the shark. He is a shark, after all, and sharks eat fish. When Ripple the dolphin comes along and basically just tells them to get over themselves, I kind of wanted to slap her. The blowfish does point out that Ripple doesn't need to be as afraid because she's bigger and therefore not as vulnerable. But, as good as this observation is, it's not really used. Ripple continues to urge the others to get over their fear, basically telling them to ignore their own instincts. I'm not sure this is the best message... especially when it comes to bullying.

Because Snark could be seen as a bully, the way the blowfish is forced to face him is a bit cringe-worthy. If a child walks up to their own bully and tries the stunt shown in the book, they're liable to get punched in the face. Children need to learn how to discern safe situations from unsafe ones... and books like this--which basically imply that all situations are safe--don't really help.

Like I said, though, the illustrations are really cute. I love the facial expressions on the characters. And the aquarium's world is rendered in colourful detail. There's not much to dislike about the pictures in this book.

But the message is muddled and has the potential to cause more problems than it solves. By all means, search for the good in each day and keep track of the things you're grateful for. But don't expect doing that to be a magical cure for depression, or for it to resolve issues with bullies. Sometimes, kids are right to be afraid; we should let them listen to their gut rather than try to override their instincts.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little Pickle Press for providing a digital ARC.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.17 out of 5