Henry Newman from Clore Tikva Primary School, in Ilford, co-wrote ‘Lark the Shark’ with his mum Natalie, after being inspired by his school homework about pollution.

Clark the Shark is trying to get ready for his first sleepover, but he’s worried because it will be his first time sleeping outside without his glow-fish night-light. He and his friends play games until it’s time to go outside. Clark’s friends tell scary stories and Clark’s friends all start to feel a little scared. Clark realizes that all of them are a little bit afraid of the dark. Soon they all find a way to help themselves not be afraid of the dark anymore. There's also some great word play with nonsense words like "upsy-downsy", "spinna-ma-jig" and "tail-whump-a-lumpus". These words are very exciting for kids and encourage word-play that can be very good for language development. Okey dokey. I must confess that I actually watched this as a video on YouTube, mainly because Chris Pine was reading it! :D (Chris Pine is one of my favourite actors.) I did actually enjoy this story, which was about a shark who's very rowdy and over-enthusiastic in his school-classes. The moral of the story is, that you can enjoy things but you must show consideration towards others and their feelings. (I think a lot of people, adults included, could learn a lot from this tale to be honest, hehe.) Clark is a shark who starts going to school. He loves school but Clark is crazy. He played to hard with his friends and ate all of his friends lunches because he got to excited. When Clark got to excited he came up with rhymes to help him remember to not act so crazy. He learned to behave when he was at school because there is a time and a place for when to act crazy and there is a time not to. An eco-minded Redbridge school student who published a book about a friendly litter clearing shark is hoping his story will inspire people to start the New Year by joining green initiatives in the borough.Get tips and advice on reducing, re-using and recycling to help protect the environment: https://www.redbridge.gov.uk/our-streets/ The young author and avid recycler said: “I wrote the book to highlight pollution in the sea, but whether it’s on land or water – there are lots of things we can all do to look after the environment. Even things like making sure we recycle as much as we can makes a difference. The major themes in this story are overcoming your fears and friendship. Clark was very afraid of the dark but thought of ways that would help him get through the night without his night light, and he did it! But he couldn't have done it without the help of his friends. He was nervous that they would make fun of him for being scared of the dark, but instead they all came together and helped each other overcome their fears, which is what true friendship is all about. Clark is a shark with zing, bang, and BOOM! Well-meaning and enthusiastic, he doesn’t intend to land in trouble, but he so often does. Follow Clark as he learns about sharing, and crushes, and how to act in class.

The dynamic duo, Natalie Newman and her son Henry Newman have made waves in the children's book industry with their delightful and engaging " Lark the Shark" series. The books have been featured on the popular BBC News children's program, Newsround. The feature highlighted the Newman duo's passion for writing and the inspiration behind their lovable protagonist, Lark the Shark. Read the full feature here. The character Clark is having his first sleepover, and him and all his friends are going to sleep outside in the dark. Clark is afraid of the dark, but to help him face his fear he creates a rhyme for himself- "Take heart, be smart, sharks aren't afraid of the dark". Clark and his friends realize that it's okay to have fears, and they get through their fears through creating a rhyme together.I applaud a story about facing the dark, something my nephew struggles with too. This book did not help with his struggles at all. They seemed to bring their fear on themselves by telling ghost stories and then were surprised when they were frightened. Also the rhyme is a little patronizing as are things to be scared of in the dark. Be smart? When is using some common sense stupid? The execution just wasn't there. This book could be for any age group. The book contains an important theme of friendship and facing your fears. The book contains colorful illustrations along with a sweet story that contains onomatopoeia and rhyming. Optimize your viewing experience Please choose your prefered video player and we’ll save your selection: I can relate to this book because I too was scared of the dark when I was young. I always had my night light and was scared to sleep without it. Sometime during the night I would wake up and be scared and even run and jump into bed with my mom and dad. But just like Clark, I eventually overcame my fear. Clark is a shark with zing, bang, and BOOM. Clark zooms into school, crashes through the classroom, and is rowdy at recess. Clark loves life and always means well—but when his enthusiasm is too much for his friends, Clark's teacher, Mrs. Inkydink, helps him figure out a way to tone it down.