Rafe Martin, illustrated by David Shannon,
The Shark God.
Scholastic Press, 2001.

Loosely adapting an old Hawaiian legend, storyteller Rafe Martin weaves an engaging and appealing tale of a pair of brave children, their loving parents, a hard-hearted king and the powerful shark god. Maybe it was an excuse for a trip to Hawaii, but both Martin and illustrator David Shannon seem to have put some effort into researching the story and illustrations to capture the feel of native Hawaii.

A brother and sister release a shark caught on a fishing rope. When the children are sentenced to death by the king for daring to touch his drum, their parents plead to the Shark God, who helps the parents save their children and flee in search of a better island with a kinder king.

Shannon's use of bright colors and rich textures, with traditional fabric prints and tattooed, brown-skinned people, will remind some of Gauguin's paintings of Tahiti. And even with Martin's “updating” touches to make the story appropriate for a 21st century children's audience, the flavor of the islands comes through.

Sumi Hayashi