Think Like a Shark

Book excerpt: A satirical, sea-floor look at popular culture, as showcased through the lives of a lovable shark and his oceanic cronies. Collecting more than 42 weeks of Jim Toomey's Sherman's Lagoon, this collection transports readers to an imaginary lagoon near the South Pacific island of Kapupu, where a cast of coral-reef critters battles the encroachment of the hairless beach apes (a.k.a. humans). Commenting on such timely issues as rising sea levels and changing weather patterns, inhabitants of Toomey's nautical neighborhood include Sherman, an always-hungry but otherwise typical great white shark; his witty pearl-wearing wife, Megan; friendly Fillmore the turtle; geeky fish Ernest; macho hermit crab Hawthorne; and salty old Captain Quigley. Inside Sherman's Lagoon, these bottom-dwelling denizens offer under-the-sea hilarity, along with a real-life call to action in relation to protecting our environment, oceans, and all marine life.