Sydney the Brave Shark
by Corinne Hammerschlag

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This is the story of Sydney, a Great White Shark who is born with an abnormality. One tooth grows outside his mouth instead of inside. He is very unhappy because he is teased at school. One day, a new shark comes to the class. Her name is Molly and she is a Mako shark. She and Sydney become good friends. One day, they were swimming together and got stuck in reeds. It was becoming dark and they were very scared. Suddenly Sydney had an idea. He used his disability to rescue them and becomes a hero. It is a wonderful book and deals with the issues of disability as well as bullying. A very prominent theme running through the book is IT'S NOT WHAT YOU LOOK LIKE THAT COUNTS BUT WHAT YOU DO! I believe this theme will resonate with parents and teachers alike.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Corinne was born in Johannesburg South Africa where she was a much loved elementary teacher until her retirement. She emigrated to Toronto in 1986. Her innate sensitivity to children's needs as well as her longtime love of Nature and the environment set the theme for this delightful story about anti bullying as well as respect for Nature. Corinne is an avid reader and has instilled a love of books and passion for reading into her three children as well as her five grandchildren. She still volunteers weekly with special needs kids through her work with her amazing therapy dog Teddy. She lives in Toronto with her husband Mark. ABOUT THE ILLUSTRATOR: Steve Yeates is aToronto illustrator who, when he isn't cycling all over Toronto, is recording his neighbourhood in his sketchbook. He lives with his partner of 32 years and their very intelligent cat, Rosie.

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Contributors

Author

Corinne Hammerschlag

Illustrator

Steve Yeates