Hank the Wrestling Shark

Words and Music by Gerry Paul; illustrations by Tom Armstrong

Published by Wacky Tales Publications, distributed by Bookreps NZ Ltd, available in bookshops nationwide and at www.hanktheshark.com from 05 March 2012, RRP $24.99

Imagine wrestling the fiercest, fastest, most frightening creature of the sea . . . and then, with some nifty thinking, outsmart him to win the coveted title of ‘Ocean Wrestling Champ’!

That’s exactly what cartoon hero Gerry does in Hank the Wrestling Shark – the hilarious, rhyming tale about a pint-sized boy who takes on the strongest, most fearsome creature of the ocean deep, and defeats him.

Think ‘David and Goliath’ meets Spike Milligan meets Johnny Cash and you’ve got the measure of this zany picture book by debut author and major new writing talent, Gerry Paul. Written for kids and grown up kids alike, Gerry Paul’s quirky story is inspired by his lifelong fascination with sharks and his encounters with them while body surfing and free diving New Zealand’s coastline, including his early years on Wellington’s Kapiti Coast.

Hank the Wrestling Shark is a lively, engaging and inspiring story to read and sing along to, with obvious appeal to anyone who’s ever felt small and weak, and overcome the odds to feel strong and powerful. It encourages children to free their imaginations, nurture their creativity and believe in themselves as they face life’s challenges.

For every book purchased via Gerry Paul’s webbsite,www.hanktheshark.com, 

$1 will be donated to the Child Cancer Foundation

Best known as an award-winning songwriter and musician, Gerry Paul’s first picture book is accompanied by a three track CD, which includes title song Hank the Wrestling Shark. The song was awarded the 2010 Grand Prize in the prestigious international ‘John Lennon Songwriting Contest’, a coveted award among songwriters. This features on an album of ten children’s songs called ‘Tales from the Sea and an Elephant Tree’, to be released by Rhythmethod/Ode Records  alongside the book in March 2012.

About the author:

Born in Dublin in 1979, Gerry Paul grew up in Lower Hutt, where he still takes a couple of months out of his busy touring schedule each year to write songs and wrestle sharks. He has spent the past 13 years living in Ireland, playing and touring with the Irish band Gráda, which he co-founded in 2001. Gráda have gone on to release four albums with Nashville based Compass Records, have toured extensively in the States and played at prestigious venues worldwide.  

Gerry Paul has collaborated and played with some of the top musicians in Ireland, America and New Zealand. He will be touring with Ireland’s best known traditional musician Sharon Shannon in New Zealand this March, performing at WOMAD, the New Zealand Festival of the Arts and the Volvo Ocean Race in Auckland. Recently Gerry has been playing electric guitar and banjo with iconic New Zealand songwriter Greg Johnson.

About the illustrator:

Illustrator Tom Armstrong was born in England in 1987 and raised in Nelson. He now resides in Melbourne. He has been drawing on anything he could get his hands on since he can remember! Tom is a self-taught artist with a passion for drawing wild and slightly mad cartoons. This is his first children’s book.