Category: Children Publisher: CreatSpace
ISBN-10: 1475190425
Pages: 24
Copyright: July 25, 2012
ISBN-13: 9781475190427
A young stingray and his boating friends find themselves in trouble when a menacing bull shark interrupts their day, but then they realize that things aren’t always as they seem.
It's the perfect day for boating and for showing off. So, Little Ray puts on the most fantastic, fun free show he can! But when a dark fin appears in the water, the perfect play day turns serious. What happens next is amazing. What did Little Ray do and how did he do it? The unlikeliest team of heroes saves the day and makesthe seven seas the happiest place on earth.
Excerpt
Sometimes when we trip or fumble,
Teamwork may just stop our stumble.
That's why we must show respect
To help that comes when we least expect.
Professional Reviews
Clarion ForeWord Review
PICTURE BOOKS
Little Ray & Shark Patch Things Up
V. R. Duin
CreateSpace
978-1-4751-9042-7
Four Stars (out of Five)
Can a shark and a ray use teamwork to help a group of stranded boaters? In V. R. Duin’s
delightful rhyming picture book Little Ray & Shark Patch Things Up, the answer is a resounding
“yes.”
Little Ray, the central character, helps boaters in distress by sealing a leak in their vessel
with his own flattened body. A bull shark soon approaches and Little Ray prepares for the worst,
but luckily (and unexpectedly) the shark decides to help instead, towing the ray-patched boat
back to shore.
V. R. Duin is an experienced author of children’s books, having written and published
four in her Goopy Ghost series, as well as a previous book featuring her Little Ray character,
The Amazing Flight of Little Ray. As one might expect, Duin’s latest work proves that she has
many of the techniques of children’s literature down to a science: Her rhymes flow nicely and
relate the story without ever seeming forced. The illustrations are also well done, vibrantly
colored and consistent, aiding the storytelling throughout.
Though well executed, Little Ray & Shark Patch Things Up does fail to live up to its
potential in one respect. The title presumably refers to Little Ray’s temporary repair work,
preventing the boat from sinking. However, “Patch Things Up” would also seem to indicate a
reconciliation—that Little Ray and Shark are adversaries who have battled each other before,
and are now mutually deciding to put their differences aside in order to help the boaters.
