Sharkbot Shalom

The strength in Sharkbot Shalom is the whimsical and anthropomorphic creature named Sharkbot (combination shark and robot) which children will find imaginative and engaging.The illustrations of the deep ocean are fanciful and cleverly depict the Sharkbot with changing facial expressions throughout the book as he prepares for a Shabbat meal with his sea creature friends. The poetic verse contains rhymes as the countdown to Shabbat begins, which will also power down Sharkbot’s motor. “The stingray brings SIX plates of treats, from seagrass cakes to algae sweets.” The friends need to hurry to prepare for Shabbat before it arrives so they will be ready before his battery dies. When Shabbat begins, Sharkbot “calms from tail to nose.” In the final pages, a spread is confusing which shows on the verso the Shabbat candles are lit and on the recto Sharkbot plugs in his battery. The traditional approach to Shabbat is not to plug into electricity after the Shabbat candles are lit. This sequencing could possibly confuse the reader, especially in Orthodox homes.---Ellen Share, Association of Jewish Libraries