Title: The Shark Who Needed My Pyjamas
Author: Rum Charles
Illustrator: Kristeena Saville
Publisher: BookSide Press
ISBN: 978-1-77883-041-9
Pages: 50
Genre: Illustrated Children’s Book
Reviewed by: Barbara Miller

Read Book Review

In this absolutely adorable children’s story, we join this little girl who is trying to find her pyjamas.  She looks under her pillow, in her dresser draw, under her bed – and everywhere – but no pyjamas anywhere.  Where can they be?  She is talking with her dad who is downstairs, and he says that he’ll be up to help her look for them, but in the meantime, she ventures into the bathroom – and low and behold what does she see? A big shark standing in front of a mirror trying on her pyjamas!

Readers are taken into a flurry of images and humorous dialogue between the shark and the little girl as they try to find the perfect pyjamas for this smiling shark.  Seeing the shark wearing her pink doted pyjamas, she says, “Well, they don’t suit you at all.”  “I know, I’m not much of a one for pink spots,” the shark replies.  She then offers the shark her favorite ones – the Sea Glass Witch pair.  “Hmmmmm. Nice, but not quite me,” the shark comments.

She then asks the shark how did he get up into her bathroom anyway, and the personified shark tells her through the drain plug in her bath tub, and how he could squeeze through because he doesn’t have bones, only Cartledge for a skeleton.  This satisfies the little girl’s curiosity and the fashion show goes on until the shark finds the perfect style – grey with black stripes – which go well with his smile.  So off, back through the drain plus he goes, and this fanciful encounter comes to a close.

The side conversation the little girl has with her dad downstairs, plus the dialogue with the shark makes this a fascinating story to be told to children.  The illustrations showing the actions of the shark trying of different pyjamas is done with such an artistic flair, which makes this book a gallery of artwork themed to interleave with this creative story.  Even the use of the bathroom’s mirror, sometimes used to show the little girl’s face and other times to have the shark see himself, gives this book another dimension of credibility in storyline and artistic imagery, which strengthens the readers’ impact.

Children’s bedtime storybooks are very popular, yet The Shark Who Needed My Pyjamas demonstrates best-in-class within the genre.  It is a story which will be enjoyed by children time-and-time again, and surely become a family favorite.  This is a must-read book everyone with young children should have in their family library.