Never Take a Shark to the Dentist: and Other Things not to Do

Never Take a Shark to the Dentist: and Other Things Not to Do by Judi Barret
Illustrated by John Nickle
2008
Preschool-Grade 2

     Never Take a Shark to the Dentist: and Other Things Not to Do is a book full of very valuable advice.  You should never take a centipede shoe-shopping or sit next to a porcupine on the subway.  "Never share your lunch with a pig or hold hands with a lobster. Obviously!  There are some other pieces of advice that are not quite as obvious until you see the hilarious illustrations by Nickle, like never knitting a hat for a moose, or never taking a goat to the library, and my favorite, never go to the bank with a raccoon.  After all those "nevers", it's good to learn that you should "always go shopping with a pelican" (imagine how much you can fit in that beak of his!).
     Never Take a Shark to the Dentist: and Other Things Not to Do is a hilarious book.  The text by Barret (author of Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs) is funny on its own, but Nickle's illustations take it to the next level.  Kids will laugh with this one!  The book can also be used in the classroom for text innovation activities: students can come up with their own advice following the book's format, and even create a whole classroom version of it.