Ariki and the Giant Shark

Nicola Davies is an award-winning author whose many books for children include A First Book of Nature, A First Book of Animals, Tiny, Lots, The Promise, King of the Sky, Ice Bear, Big Blue Whale, Dolphin Baby, Just Ducks, Poo and the Heroes of the Wild series. She graduated in zoology, studied whales and bats and then worked for the BBC Natural History Unit. Nicola lives in Crickhowell, Wales. Visit Nicola at www.nicola-davies.com, or follow her on Twitter under the handle @nicolakidsbooks.Nicola Kinnear is a children's illustrator, storyteller and part-time bookseller. Ariki and the Giant Shark will be her first fully illustrated title. Visit Nicola at nicolakinnear.com, or follow her on Twitter under the handle @Nicola_Ella.

“Ariki is an exotic heroine who easily wins the readers to her side: man and nature need not always be in competition. Her unusual gift for reading the stars and communicating with creatures of the sea brings a mythical quality to the Pacific-set tale that elevates it above realist coming of age stories, while Nicola Davies, a well-known zoologist as well as an author, does not shy away from thick description of the ocean world, or the threats posed to it by human intervention. Nicola Kinnear’s illustrations, meanwhile, are generously scattered throughout the book, making this a visually attractive as well as an exciting, worthy read.”