Today we’re celebrating the Book Birthday of SHARKS UNHOOKED: The Adventures of Cristina Zenato, Underwater Ranger by Patricia Newman, Illustrated by Becca Hall (Millbrook), a book where sharks (and their champion Cristina Zenato) are the GOOD guys — and conservationists at that!
About the Book
But don’t take my word for it…
Through Newman’s sparkling, alliterative verse, a portrait of Cristina emerges—a dreamy wonderer who felt out of place growing up yet found a sense of belonging beneath the waves. Hall’s delightful cartoon illustrations avoid anthropomorphism as they depict a more vulnerable side of sharks. Above all, readers will emerge with a strong grasp of sharks’ crucial role in ecosystems….A conservation tale that’s sure to hook readers. — Kirkus
Readers might remember Patricia Newman from our Book Birthday meetup last year for her book on manta rays. (Yes, there’s definitely an ocean theme in many of Newman’s amazing nonfiction titles.) We’re very excited to welcome her back.
Let’s ask some questions!
Q 1. Where and when did you first learn of Cristina Zenato and her story?
Patricia Newman: When I visit schools, I tell students that I do what all good authors do when I’m trying to figure out how to solve a thorny writing problem.
STUDENTS: Keep writing? More research?
ME: No, procrastinate!
In 2022, while muddling through a problem with A River’s Gifts, I told myself I needed more research, but I quickly veered toward the completely unrelated videos that popped into my search feed. The one that caught my eye was about Cristina Zenato removing fishing hooks from sharks. I knew immediately it was a new book idea.
So, sometimes procrastinating pays off.
Sharks vs JAWS
Q 2. Sharks definitely get a bad rap. It’s been 50 years since the movie JAWS and most of us don’t think of sharks as an ecologically essential species in marine ecosystems. Can you expand on this a bit?
Patricia Newman: I think it’s the rows of serrated teeth. Sharks are predators uniquely designed to slip through the water as silent hunters. Their whole reason for being is to survive, like any other animal—including humans.
But because they swim at the top of the food chain, they provide specific functions to their ecosystem, namely keeping prey populations in check, dispersing smaller fish from overgrazing any one area, and cycling nutrients in the ocean via migration. Except that doesn’t sell newspapers or attract viewers.
The media love to think of sharks in aggregate, and usually as maneaters. Although sharks infrequently attack humans, the media reports each instance.
In truth, there are many kinds of sharks, just like there are many kinds of people. Sharks of different sizes occupy different habitats. Sharks with different habits. Sharks that sport different anatomical features. We would do our planet a huge service by helping our children appreciate these differences.
I like the way Cristina phrases it, “When people hear the word shark I want them to hear endless possibilities. It’s like hearing bird and picturing more than an eagle.”
Diving Into Research
Q 3. What was your research like for this project? Were you able to interview Cristina? Swim with sharks?
Patricia Newman: I brushed up on my shark facts, especially Caribbean reef sharks. I scoured the Internet for videos and images of Cristina with the sharks and followed her on social media.
Process and Focus
I also interviewed Cristina a couple of times via Zoom. Virtually all the research for Sharks Unhooked occurred during the pandemic, so travel wasn’t an option. But I’m still holding out hope that I’ll meet Cristina—and the sharks—in person one day.
Q 4. Given that SHARKS UNHOOKED is a picture book, and so many of your books are much longer, geared for middle grade, what was your process in deciding what scenes or facts to keep and what to cut?
Patricia Newman: I love these questions about focus! Every book, despite its length, requires decisions about what to include and what to exclude. In Sharks Unhooked, I made a conscious decision to focus on Cristina’s relationship with sharks – from childhood to the present. Why she loved them. How she made her dream come true. How she helps them. How she educates the public.
This book is not a biography of Cristina’s entire life, nor is it a treatise on shark facts. It is the story of how one woman helps save iconic apex predators.
In addition to her shark conservation work, Cristina also leads underwater expeditions into caves to map them. She’s an amazing woman!
Surprises and Takeaways
Q 5. What’s the most surprising shark fact that you discovered?
Patricia Newman: That it’s possible for a shark to lay in someone’s lap! I never thought they could be so calm or so still.
Q. 6. What surprises did illustrator Becca Hall bring to the project?
Patricia Newman: Becca’s illustrations bring a kid-friendly aspect to the topic of sharks without being alarmist. Her color palette is extraordinary and gives readers the feeling of being underwater with Cristina. The illustrations also provide a cohesiveness that wouldn’t have been possible with the available photos.
Q 7. What do you hope readers will take away from reading this book?
Patricia Newman: I hope readers of all ages will respect the role sharks play in our ocean. Without a healthy ocean, life on Earth wouldn’t exist. Sharks are an inextricable part of our well-being, so wouldn’t it be wise for us to challenge the media’s perception of sharks as maneaters?
Oceans of Thank You’s
to Patricia Newman
for joining us today and
Happy Book Birthday to SHARKS UNHOOKED!
To learn about her books & presentations check out her website: patriciamnewman.com
and follow her on social media:
BlueSky, Twitter/X, and YouTube: @patricianewman
Instagram and Facebook: @patricianewmanbooks
Pinterest: @newmanbooks
Up next on the blog, we celebrate the Book Birthday of
SO MANY BOOKS!
written by Sue Fliess and Ann Marie Stephens,
Illus. by Alexandra Colombo (Albert Whitman)!
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