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Rita Emmett is a best-selling author of several books including The Procrastinator's Handbook and The Clutter-Busting Handbook. Her books are published in 32 countries and have sold over 310,000 copies world wide. She wrote her first picture book, Farkle Shark, You Are Not Stupid because she knows tons of children who might not be smart in school but they know a lot about trains or insects or they can fix things or they have determination to stick to a hard job or they can make people laugh. Yet often --- because someone bullied them or made fun of them --- they are convinced that they are stupid. She based this book on an Einstein quote: "Everyone is a genius.But if a fish is judged by how well it climbs a tree, it will live its entire life feeling stupid". Rita hopes that this book will ignite in children the understanding that everyone is a genius. Twice Rita rode mules to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back. This has nothing to do with her book. She just wanted you to know that.
Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite
Farkle Shark, You Are Not Stupid by Rita Emmett and Irina Bulgaru is an adorable story which speaks about bullying and feeling stupid. Farkle Shark is hiding from his big sister because she always corrects the goofy sayings he uses. She always criticizes him and today she wants to know why he is so sad. He says he is sad because he thinks he is stupid - he is the only one in his class who cannot climb trees. She tries to console him by writing on her underwater board: ‘Everybody is smart about something BUT nobody is smart about everything.’ Sparkle Shark takes Farkle Shark close to the top so that their fins will scare the swimmers. Farkle Shark shows his sister Big Bully Boy who has told everyone that he is stupid. What does Sparkle Shark do that changes everything for Farkle Shark?
The story has some good lessons for young readers and will make them understand that it is not possible for everyone to do everything in life, and each person has their own strengths and weaknesses. The story also touches on the topic of bullying. The illustrations do justice to the author’s words and give clarity to her thoughts and expressions. It is a good bedtime storybook and the life lessons make it excellent for read aloud sessions in classrooms and school libraries. The story is fun and filled with humor, and children will love both Farkle Shark and Sparkle Shark and the lessons they teach through their story.
