Publisher's Weekly Review
Well-oiled comedic dialogue by Kalan (Horse Meets Dog) starts with a bang as Sharko and silent sidekick Hippo ready themselves to fish. When Sharko tells Hippo to launch the boat, Hippo reaches into a pocket and finds... a goat in a swimming costume, a plump bag of oats, and Sharko's polka-dot coat. Sharko asks for a fishing pole, and Hippo successively hands over a banana peel, a pail, and a plow. Readers stay laughing as Hippo brings still more rapid-fire confusion to the demanding Sharko's fishing trip. (His final grin explains why.) In amusing, heavy-lined illustrations by Tsurumi (Crab Cake), the duo's gymnastic eyebrows express myriad emotions as Hippo rummages around in multitudinous coat pockets. Movie buffs will identify the source of Hippo's silent humor as Harpo Marx, the contents of whose pockets often provided gags in Marx Brothers films. Kalan and Tsurumi pay homage to humor that fights bossiness with anarchy--Hippo may look foolish, but it's Sharko's plans that are utterly, gleefully foiled. Ages 4--8. Author's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. Illustrator's agent: Stephen Barr, Writers House. (Sept.)
Kirkus Review
A shark's plan to go fishing unravels when his friend simply provides the wrong equipment. Introducing the pair as "bestest friends," Sharko explains, "I do the talking, and Hippo does the carrying." At the pier, Hippo wears a green jacket with a plethora of pockets that apparently contain everything they will need. "Hippo, launch the boat!" The absurdity begins. Hippo silently produces a goat and then a bag of oats, making quite the splash while astonishing Sharko. Recovering quickly, Sharko demands a pole, but Hippo takes out a banana peel, pail, plow, and pillow, all to Sharko's increasing frustration. Instead of bait, out comes the boat, now uselessly bobbing in the water. The exasperated Sharko begins to question Hippo about the endlessly inappropriate substitutions and angrily declares, "What kind of friend are you? You never give me the thing I need!" A warm hug from Hippo soothes Sharko's feelings as they leave the pier. Kalan's comedic duo brings to mind the iconic team of Chico and Harpo Marx. Dialogue in speech bubbles drives the narrative seamlessly, coupled with Tsurumi's genial cartoon art, which downplays Sharko's teeth in favor of impressively emphatic eyebrows. Kids will laugh along with each picture cue as the silliness endures down to the last reveal, which discloses Hippo's secret motive behind the foolishness. Amid the laughter and ridiculousness, readers will be able to muse over Hippo's altruistic wisdom. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Here, early readers will find good practice in word recognition, embedded in a story about a shark and a hippo on a fishing expedition. Adults may recognize the duo as a throwback to two of the Marx Brothers, Groucho and Harpo, but this motif will be lost on most young readers. Sharko, bushy-browed and impatient, takes the good-natured but hapless Hippo to the edge of a dock to catch fish. Sharko has the know-how; Hippo has a capacious coat filled with items that all turn out to be wrong for fishing. For example, when Sharko orders Hippo to produce a fishing pole, Hippo hands Sharko a banana peel, a beach pail, a plow, and a pillow. Tsurumi's illustrations, done in ink, watercolor, collage, and Photoshop, are crowded with comic detail. We have rhyming words, alliteration, homophones, and more wordplay, all presented as Hippo throws out the wrong objects. At book's end, the fish thank Hippo, whose wrong picks have saved them.
