Jude and sharks

Jude has taken an interest in sharks.  When I say “taken an interest” what I really mean is that he enjoys looking at shark books and reading shark facts more than he likes eating.  Almost.

Of course, his intense interest in sharks has shown up in his artwork and book-making.

This was made one of the first weeks of school.  Let me explain the title, Shark Superhighway.  One day awhile back Josh let Jude watch Netflix instant streaming on his iPhone.  One of the available titles was Shark Superhighway, a special from National Geographic.  I think it’s mostly about hammerhead sharks.

So, here is a shot of the inside of the cover, and yes, it is a dedication.  Ella is a girl in Jude’s class.  Isn’t that sweet?

Jude pointed out to me that all of the hammerhead sharks are smiling; they are a friendly shark, after all?  Well, at least they aren’t as aggressive a great white.  I think.  I don’t know, I should ask the expert.

Now.  This picture.  You might just glance at it and think that it’s another picture of a hammerhead shark.  You would be wrong.  What you would be missing in your background knowledge is a scene from Shark Superhighway that shows poachers or fishermen harvesting sharks, cutting their dorsal fins off to make shark fin soup, a delicacy in Chinese cuisine.

And when I asked him about it the picture above, that was exactly what he told me his drawing was about, but pointed out that the shark was still smiling.  Not sure why it didn’t get X’s for eyes.

Here is a more recent book, as you can see, he’s made strides in his penmanship:

And the dedication was shared between his teacher and his cousin:

Here is a separate drawing that I particularly enjoyed… I think the drawing was from this week:

You’ll have to look closely at the left-of-center part of the page, the deceased was a very pale fellow.  Yes, we have X’s for eyes again, and what looks like a fatal leg wound and a trail of blood leading back to another happy hammerhead shark.

I’ll spare you the rest of the pages of books, all with sharks, some with rainbows, some with more victims, you know, the usual.

But here’s something you won’t see anywhere else, I’m certain:

It’s Shark Rushmore!  Wow. 

If I remember correctly, from left to right: great white shark, lemon shark, whale shark and hammerhead shark.

They all had names and stories.  The first one was Tom who liked to play with his grandchildren, but now I’m forgetting the other names and stories, they were quite imaginative, I assure you.

I think this phase is adorable and unlike the bazillion coloring book pages he’s brought home over the years, I want to hold onto almost everything he draws or writes that is coming from his desires and his interests.  It’s just precious to see what he chooses to do with the blank paper that he has free reign over.