Shaun the shy shark

Shaun the shy shark Neil Griffiths

It’s a well-known fact that sharks should be terrifying as they patrol the murky seas.

Shaun, however, was so shy that the sight of a jellyfish made him wobble, and even a shrimp was known to scare him. But it was a secret wish that eventually sent Shaun to a new world in a shipwreck at the bottom of the sea.

A dazzling tale from the depths, about ‘following a dream’ and ‘being different’.

Shaun the shy

Illustrated by

Peggy Collins

shark

£ 5.99

Neil Griffiths

ISBN 978-1-905434-20-6

www.redrobinbooks.com

Red Robin

9 781905 434206

Illustrated by

Peggy Collins

For all my many close friends, who have always accepted me as being different! il Ne x For Shawn For being exactly who you are.

Love always Peggy x

Red Robin Books is an imprint of Corner To Learn Limited Published by

Corner To Learn Limited Willow Cottage 26 Purton Stoke Swindon Wiltshire SN5 4JF UK www.redrobinbooks.com

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ISBN: 978-1-905434-20-6 (paperback) ISBN: 978-1-905434-91-6 (paperback with audio CD) First published in the UK 2008 Reprinted 2011 Text © Neil Griffiths 2008 Illustrations © Peggy Collins 2008 The rights of Neil Griffiths to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the Publisher. Any person who does any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

Design by

David Rose Printed in China

Shaun the shy

shark

Neil Griffiths Illustrated Illustrated by by

Peggy Collins

Shaun was not like other sharks… …he was different.

Whilst other sharks like to patrol the seas terrifying everyone, Shaun preferred a quieter life.

He was usually hard to find… …Oh, there he is, hiding behind that rock!

Shaun liked to be alone. He had tried to mix with the other sea creatures, but whales made him wobble with fear, tuna terrified him and even a small shrimp had been known to scare him. It wasn’t Shaun’s fault, he was simply a shy shark.

Shaun would spend long hours alone in the murky depths, but very occasionally he would be drawn out by a ray of sunlight catching a school of colourful fish as they passed by.

Shaun loved colourful things and hated being grey. He longed to be purple or pink, spotty or striped!

Shaun would be mesmerised by their graceful movements as they darted through the water.

In fact, Shaun secretly loved to dance too and, when no one was looking, he would forget how shy he was and launch into an under-sea ballet.

He would chassĂŠ and pirouette as if floating on air!

But one day his graceful movements were being watched by his fellow sharks. “What a soppy shark you are,� they shouted.

Shaun froze with embarrassment.

“Sharks don’t dance. They terrify creatures,” bellowed one of the sharks.

Large teardrops popped from Shaun’s eyes.

“Shaun, you’re a sissy!” they all said, as they swam off in disgust.

“I’m not a sissy,” whimpered Shaun.“I’m just different to other sharks,” he sighed.

Shaun swam off into the darkness, to the depths of the seabed. There, at the bottom of the sea, he found an old shipwreck. “The perfect place for me to live,� sighed Shaun sadly, as he settled down for what he thought would be his first night alone.

But he was not alone, tiny eyes were peering from the darkness and Shaun could feel the wreck shivering nervously.

Eventually a brave little voice trembled “Please don’t eat us.”

Shaun shot behind a large chest.

“I don’t eat fish, I’m scared of them,” replied Shaun shakily.

“So are we,” said several voices.

Shaun the shy shark Neil Griffiths

It’s a well-known fact that sharks should be terrifying as they patrol the murky seas.

Shaun, however, was so shy that the sight of a jellyfish made him wobble, and even a shrimp was known to scare him. But it was a secret wish that eventually sent Shaun to a new world in a shipwreck at the bottom of the sea.

A dazzling tale from the depths, about ‘following a dream’ and ‘being different’.

Shaun the shy

Illustrated by

Peggy Collins

shark

£ 5.99

Neil Griffiths

ISBN 978-1-905434-20-6

www.redrobinbooks.com

Red Robin

9 781905 434206

Illustrated by

Peggy Collins