Baby shark: adventure down under

Random House, 2020. ISBN: 9781760897970.
(Age: 3-5) The Baby Shark phenomenon began apparently in 2015 with the promotion of one of the easiest of songs for kids to sing along with. All of this passed me by. Since then it has blown out to be a world wide video, YouTube sensation, shared on social media and now is a musical and part of the Kellogg's stable of breakfast cereals. Beginning as a camp fire song it was taken up by a Korean start up company in 2015 who produced a video which gained 5 billion viewers in 12 months. Revised and updated since then, it has spawned a dance craze as well.
So to receive Baby shark down under, with very little on each page but a three rows of doo doo doo doo, I was perplexed. I don't know if I am much the wiser, but I am certainly amazed that such a simple thing gives rise to a world wide craze, TV show, billions of online viewers, a musical and a breakfast cereal.
The book cover with lot of glitter will attract the readers, and for those in the know of the Baby Shark craze will be thrilled. Each double page has the refrain of three doo doo doo lines associated with one sort of shark found in Australian waters, and on the right side of the page is a fact list for that particular shark. So readers will find out about the Pygmy Shark, Great Hammerhead Shark, Great White Shark, Grey Nurse Shark, Blacktip Reef Shark, Whale Shark, Zebra Shark, Tasselled Wobegong, Shortfin Maco and the Port Jackson Shark. Each fact list gives their botanical name, size, conservation status, and one fact which children will love to read. The book does have merit in acquainting younger children about the different sharks in our waters, and fits in well with the craze that seems unstoppable. Themes: Sharks, Sing a long, Baby sharks.
Fran Knight