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Shark vs. Train Hardcover – Picture Book, April 1, 2010

by Chris Barton (Author), Tom Lichtenheld (Illustrator)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 384 ratings
Editors' pick Best Books Baby-Age 2
See all formats and editions
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Shark VS. Train!
WHO WILL WIN?!

If you think Superman vs. Batman would be an exciting matchup, wait until you see Shark vs. Train. In this hilarious and wacky picture book, Shark and Train egg each other on for one competition after another, including burping, bowling, Ping Pong, piano playing, pie eating, and many more! Who do YOU think will win, Shark or Train?

[star] "This is a genius concept." -- Publishers Weekly, starred review

[star] "Lichtenheld's snarling shark and grimacing train are definitely ready for a fight, and his scenarios gleefully play up the absurdity. The combatants' expressions are priceless when they lose. A glum train in smoky dejection, or a bewildered, crestfallen shark? It's hard to choose; both are winners." -- Kirkus, starred review
Previous page
  1. Reading age
    2 - 5 years, from customers
  2. Print length
    40 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Grade level
    Preschool - 3
  5. Lexile measure
    AD470L
  6. Dimensions
    10.25 x 0.38 x 10.38 inches
  7. Publisher
    Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
  8. Publication date
    April 1, 2010
  9. ISBN-10
    9780316007627
  10. ISBN-13
    978-0316007627
  11. See all details
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From the Publisher

Fire Truck vs. Dragon by Chris Barton, illustrated by Shanda McCloskey Thats Not Bunny by Chris Barton, illustrated by Colin Jack Shark vs. Train by Chris Barton, illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld
Fire Truck vs. Dragon That's Not Bunny! Shark vs. Train
Customer Reviews
4.3 out of 5 stars
145
4.7 out of 5 stars
2
4.5 out of 5 stars
384
Price $9.89 $12.27 $13.29
Let Chris Barton answer all the important questions! Can a Fire Truck and a Dragon be friends? How can Hawk be a hawk, if he can't catch a single bunny? Who do YOU think will win, Shark or Train?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Starred Review. PreSchool-Grade 2—When a boy with a toy shark faces a train-wielding companion, it sets off a series of imaginative and very funny contests between fish and machine. The result of each battle depends on the setting. Shark wins at high diving, not surprisingly, while Train comes out on top when it comes to burping. Other face-offs are less immediately obvious: Train stretches vertically to triumph at basketball, while Shark's sharp-toothed clown costume works best for trick-or-treating. In some situations, neither combatant fares well: as Train comments on the scoreless video-game competition, "Sure would help if we had thumbs." The cleverly chosen contests reflect the imaginative powers of kids while retaining the consistent logic that's also essential to play. The notion of a shark and a train trying to be quiet in a library is absurd, for example, but the reasons why neither would succeed make perfect sense. Energetic cartoon illustrations take full advantage of the visual possibilities. Creative use of page space and perspectives gives a fresh look to each new battle. Just-right facial expressions capture the distinct personalities of the two competitors, including an evil grin from Shark at the Ping-Pong table and Train's uneasy look during a disastrous piano recital. Subtler visual details add to the humor, including a shark-jumping Fonzie reference that adults will appreciate. This inspired pairing, executed with ingenuity and packed with action and humor, is a sure winner.—Steven Engelfried, Multnomah County Library, OR
(c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

From Booklist

Maybe they haven't pitted this exact pair against one another, but there's little doubting young boys' ability to spend hours and considerable blocks of imagination smashing different toys together in a knock-down, drag-out battle royale for romper-room supremacy. The opening spread shows two boys digging through a toy box, each pulling out a fearsome competitor. In this corner, there's Shark (I'm going to choo-choo you up and spit you out); and in the other, Train (Ha! I'm going to fin-ish you, mackerel-breath). The bout gets progressively more ridiculous with each escalating shift in setting and rules. Early rounds in the ocean and on the tracks are split; Shark has the upper hand on the high-dive, and Train in giving carnival rides. Neither turns out to be much good at the Extreme Zombie-Squirrel Motocross video game (no thumbs) or sword fighting on a tightrope. Barton's imaginative and wacky scenarios are knocked home by Lichtenheld's ferociously funny artwork and will leave kids measuring up their dump truck and T-Rex for the next tale of the tape. Preschool-Grade 1. --Ian Chipman

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0316007625
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; Illustrated edition (April 1, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 40 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780316007627
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0316007627
  • Reading age ‏ : ‎ 2 - 5 years, from customers
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ AD470L
  • Grade level ‏ : ‎ Preschool - 3
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 10.25 x 0.38 x 10.38 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 384 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. Chris Barton

    Chris Barton

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    I'm the author of picture books including bestseller SHARK VS. TRAIN, Sibert Honor-winning THE DAY-GLO BROTHERS, and WHOOSH! LONNIE JOHNSON'S SUPER-SOAKING STREAM OF INVENTIONS, which has been included on 21 state reading lists.

    Other well-known titles of mine include HOW TO MAKE A BOOK (ABOUT MY DOG), FIRE TRUCK VS. DRAGON, DAZZLE SHIPS, THE AMAZING AGE OF JOHN ROY LYNCH, and WHAT DO YOU DO WITH A VOICE LIKE THAT?

    My newest books include GLITTER EVERYWHERE! WHERE IT CAME FROM, WHERE IT'S FOUND & WHERE IT'S GOING (illustrated by Chaaya Prabhat; 2023) and MOVING FORWARD: FROM SPACE-AGE RIDES TO CIVIL RIGHTS SIT-INS WITH AIRMAN ALTON YATES (illustrated by Steffi Walthall; a School Library Journal Best Book of 2022).

    I visit schools by the score and also love speaking to professional gatherings of librarians, educators, and fellow writers.

    I'm married to middle-grade/YA novelist Jennifer Ziegler (WORSER, HOW NOT TO BE POPULAR). Jennifer and I have four adult children and one dog, and we co-host the children’s literature video series “This One’s Dedicated to…” in which we talk with other authors and illustrators about the dedications they’ve written for their books.

    Jennifer and I live in Austin, where I serve as a council member of the Texas Institute of Letters, a 501(c)(3) non-profit honor society founded in 1936 to celebrate Texas literature and to recognize distinctive literary achievement.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Tom Lichtenheld

    Tom Lichtenheld

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Author & illustrator Tom Lichtenheld makes books for children and people who used to be children. See all of his books at tomlichtenheld.com and follow Tom on Facebook (@tom.lichtenheld), and Twitter (@tlichtenheld).

    See more on the author's page
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Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
384 global ratings
We Read This Over and Over
5 Stars
We Read This Over and Over
I read this about ten times in one day to my 3.5 year old grandson...he loved pointing out which would win (Shark or Train?) in each scenario. During the first two or three readings we'd discuss why Shark might win in this situation, but why Train wins in other circumstances. And we started and ended by talking about the boys who were pretending that Shark and Train were in a contest. This is a great book for kids 3 to 6 who "get" imaginative play, or good perhaps, for explaining to those who don't yet understand "let's pretend" games how it's done. The message that no one is good at everything is also a positive one.
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Top reviews from the United States

RequiredName
5.0 out of 5 stars GREAT BOOK
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2013
Verified Purchase
TONS of fun...we've read it over and over since it arrived. Both dad and preschooler REALLY love it. I am glad I wasn't swayed by the ridiculously over-PC-helicopter parent reviews that were worried that the toys were "name calling" and "inappropriate."

The writing is creative, good natured, and lead to long discussions about the "epithats" - - explaining why the shark made a joke about steam, for instance....and the illustrations are super cute, too - and lead to discussions about why the shark could win a diving contest but the train couldn't (the train is WAAAY too heavy, it's made of steel and heavier than many cars and the shark lives in water, so he's probably a really good diver....).

All in all, a GREAT book.
5 people found this helpful
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Grassshopper021
5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and pictures are awesome!
Reviewed in the United States on April 25, 2016
Verified Purchase
This book is hysterical! I bought it for my 6 year old son, and we were laughing really hard reading it. Basically two little boys grab a toy shark and a toy train and go to war. The shark/train do everything from tight-rope walk to play basketball. It is a really funny book and the pictures in it are AMAZING. It's a good length, is appropriate for all ages, and even being a 33 year old adult I laughed my face off!
One person found this helpful
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David Patrick Faustina
5.0 out of 5 stars Uncle gift of the year
Reviewed in the United States on August 16, 2020
Verified Purchase
Whoa! I admit the ending was a fun twist. I bought this for my nephew and jury is out who enjoys this book more. The good news in that is we read it all the time. The story moves along with perfect pace to keep your attention and have you wanting to turn the page to move through the story. Political correctness aside- this book is all boy and will have uncles and nephews choosing a side and than battling it out. The ultimate fun as shark and train go head to head in perfect cadence and surprise ending.
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Amy
5.0 out of 5 stars Your little one will love this BOOK
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2021
Verified Purchase
This book is very fun & cute. Since I bought it my little one has had me read it every night. I highly recommend this book!
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J. Schafrath
4.0 out of 5 stars Well-liked by 2-year-old boys
Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2011
Verified Purchase
I purchased this book for my two-year-old nephews. It was recommended to me at a school event as being one of the best picture books of 2010. When it arrived, the story wasn't quite as captivating as I'd remembered from the school workshop. The story is definitely geared more towards child humor than adult. Because the shark and train characters converse and compete back and forth, I also thought this book might be difficult to read aloud. Despite all of my concerns, the book was well-received and much loved by the nephews. It's one that they pick up and pretend to "read" to themselves over and over. Afterall, sharks and trains are quite popular with the toddler crowd. It turns out to be a pleaser with those 3 and under.
2 people found this helpful
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Peggy Aitken
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect book for boys
Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2023
Verified Purchase
I love how this book mirrors have little boys play and their imaginations about the reality of the things they are playing with.
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Tina
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book for 2-4yo.
Reviewed in the United States on January 16, 2018
Verified Purchase
This book is ridiculously cute! The title seems like it wouldn't be about something you would normally pit against each other, but it's exactly how toddlers think. The different challenges the shark and train have to do are so funny; even I was laughing! I got this for my 2yo daughter's class book exchange. She loved it, and the boy who received it also loved it. You can even encourage older toddlers to add their own challenges to the story.
2 people found this helpful
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Someone
3.0 out of 5 stars Seems like a cute book
Reviewed in the United States on June 5, 2015
Verified Purchase
Seems like a cute book. But we got the kindle edition and it doesn't show all the words unless you hold the iPad vertically, so you're only seeing one page at a time. And there are only a few words of the story on each page, if any at all. And while trying to flip from page to page to finish a sentence, there are speaking bubbles on a lot of the pages that you have to skip or go back to. Last, those speaking bubbles are real small and hard to read.

But the story seems like it's cute and we love this illustrator.
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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Erin M.
5.0 out of 5 stars The story is funny and the pictures are great - my five and ...
Reviewed in Canada on September 9, 2016
Verified Purchase
This book has been in nonstop rotation at our house since receiving!

Trains and Sharks are big time favorites for both of my kids so it was a given they would be interested but after one read through of this book the kids are screaming "AGAIN"!!

The story is funny and the pictures are great - my five and two year old both love it and I think they will for quite a while.
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RIDDHI PARIKH
5.0 out of 5 stars We enjoy reading this
Reviewed in India on February 15, 2016
Verified Purchase
Bought this for my 4 and half year old son. We enjoy reading this. There are subtle ways to teach differences & opposites. Its enjoyable. We love it!
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Cliente Amazon
2.0 out of 5 stars Gabriela
Reviewed in Spain on November 22, 2015
Verified Purchase
Es un libro original, pero más para niños de 7-9 años.(teniendo en cuenta que el inglés no es nuestro idioma)
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porpora
4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2015
Verified Purchase
so sweet, my daughter loves this book and so do I
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Preeti Jain
5.0 out of 5 stars Great imagination by the author
Reviewed in India on August 23, 2019
Verified Purchase
Loved reading it. Great imagination by the author
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