Gilbert the Great

Description

'From the time Gilbert the Great White Shark was a tiny pup, Raymond the Remora stuck to him like glue. Raymond was always on Gilbert's side.' Then one day, Gilbert wakes up to discover that Raymond has gone. Mrs Munch does everything she can to help her little shark come to terms with his loss and - slowly but surely - Gilbert learns to smile a wobbly smile through his sadness. He knows that Raymond will always be in his heart and, when mum takes Gilbert to the wreck, a chance meeting helps him find happiness once more. Jane Clarke's heart-warming story, exquisitely illustrated by Charles Fuge, is funny and sad in equal measure. Gilbert the Great will touch anyone who has experienced the pain of losing a friend or the joy of making a new one.

Jane is a regular contributor to poetry anthologies for children and is the author of numerous delightful picture books, including Smoky Dragons and Tusk Trouble. She spent many happy years in the Netherlands with her husband Martin, working as a library assistant at an International School. Now Jane, her two sons and her two Labradors are starting a new life in the UK, taking Martin with them in their hearts. Charles Fuge made his debut in children's publishing in 1989 with Bushvark's First Day Out, which won both the Macmillan Prize and the Mother Goose Award. Since then he has illustrated more than thirty picture books, including Sometimes I Like to Curl Up in a Ball, which was highly commended by the judges of the 2001 Kate Greenaway Medal. Charles is an accomplished bass guitarist and also takes a keen interest in wildlife and conservation issues. He lives in London.