SHARK PRINCESS

Chanani’s latest graphic novel sees shark princesses of different species (and genders) having adventures in a sunken wreck.

Sporting an elaborate crown of shells and sea stars, slow-moving whale shark Kitana (the self-declared “first and only SHARK PRINCESS!”) rejects smaller but toothier chum Mack’s initial eager invitations to play games—but the prospect of exploring a wreck is a different matter. And when a sparkly golden crown turns up inside the hulk, it only makes sense to declare Mack a princess, too. Mack doesn’t think so, being, embarrassingly, allergic to the smell of blood and dead fish, but Kitana will have none of that: “Princesses can be allergic!” And when Mack still expresses doubts: “Our crowns. Our story.” So it is that the two chime “SHARK PRINCESSES!” with a tail slap and swim into a briefly dangerous—though entertaining and amusing—adventure (with more to come, Chanani promises). Kramer uses a rainbow palette of bright pastels to color the sequential seascapes, and a drawing lesson joins a “hide and sea” game and facts about whale sharks and shipwrecks to close.

A finny, funny foray that encourages inclusivity even when it comes to play.