David Woodland, World Domination (Sharkman and Blowfish #1), Berbay Publishing, Jun 2024, 152 pp., RRP $19.99 (hbk), ISBN 9781922610751
Sharkman wants world domination! Blowfish is his best friend – and best bet – to achieve world domination! With Sharkman’s vision and Blowfish’s penchant for inventing gadgets, is their dream about to come true? This is a delightful story about the subtleties of a dynamic friendship and building on each other’s strengths to achieve a shared goal – no matter how diabolical it might be!
Author, illustrator David Woodland, weaves a charming little tale about the origins of the entitled Sharkman and the optimistic-yet-patient Blowfish’s friendship, leading us then through to their established alliance as chief trouble makers. Here we enjoy their banter as they go to great lengths to ensure that they become rulers of the world. As they bumble through ideas on how to achieve greatness, it’s hard to decide if the reader ought to disapprove of the pair for their outrageous plans, or hope that they actually succeed!
The simplicity of the storytelling makes this book accessible to readers of varying levels. The pair’s whimsical conversations are easy to follow, and are wonderfully lyrical as they banter back and forth with their plans. An easy read despite the detail in the story. Unsure of some of the bigger words? Don’t worry, David Woodland has all readers covered! Visually, the reader is drawn into the world of Sharkman and Blowfish with Woodland’s impeccable illustrations – the details and the scope of each picture is a delight to view, a wonderful companion to each sentence, encouraging the eyes to linger after reading the text on each page.
Aimed at ages 7-12, this book is a visual treat to draw in reluctant readers, with an engaging vocabulary that doesn’t talk down to younger readers, instead encouraging broadening language skills in a funny and entertaining style. It leaves the reader ready to hear more about Sharkman and Blowfish’s misadventures in anticipation for the follow up titles in the series.
Reviewed by Lauren Harcombe
