Margaret Mahy’s classic cautionary tale The Great White Man-Eating Shark is reimagined with delightfully cheeky illustrations from Herb MacDonald, the winner of the 2024 Margaret Mahy Illustration Prize.

Welcome to Caramel Cove. The beach is amazing. The ocean is even better.

Norvin loves to swim and shoot through the water like a silver arrow. He doesn’t like sharing his beloved swimming spot with others. But with a little bit of planning, and a homemade shark fin, Norvin discovers he can have Caramel Cove all to himself.

‘Mahy tells this “Cautionary Tale” in a quietly comic, deceptively simple style inspired by her usual marvellous dry wit’ Kirkus Reviews

Other Margaret Mahy Illustration Prize titles include:

The Boy with Two Shadows with art by Sarah Greig

The Boy Who Made Things Up with art by Lily Emo

There’s a King in the Cupboard with art by Minrui Yang

The Witch in the Cherry Tree with art by Jessica Twohill

17 Kings and 42 Elephants with art by Alba Gil Celdran

Author Biography

Margaret Mahy (Author)

Margaret Mahy (1936-2012) is one of New Zealand’s most celebrated children’s writers. She is the author of more than 150 titles, which have been translated into many different languages and sold around the world. Appointed to the Order of New Zealand in 1993, Mahy also won many global prizes for children’s writers, including the Carnegie Medal and the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award.

‘It is in the nature of books, that they have the capacity to make you feel powerful about what you can alter and achieve in your life’ – Margaret Mahy

Herb MacDonald (Illustrator)

Born and raised in South Waikato, Herb MacDonald now lives in Titirangi, Auckland. He credits the endless supply of paper at the Tokoroa Paper Mill as the beginning of his love of drawing. His first published drawing (a zebra and a finch) appeared in the NZ Herald when he was seven years old. After a career in advertising, including running his own design business for the last 15 years, he is excited to be rediscovering his passion for illustration.

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