Country: Ireland Title: The Ravenous Beast Language: English, French, Dutch, Japanese Bibliographic Information: Sharkey, N. The Ravenous Beast. London: Walker Books, 2009. ISBN: 9781844284979

Summary:
The Ravenous Beast is so hungry he could eat a whole house. Gobble it up. Swallow it down. But all the other animals are claiming that they’re the hungriest of all. What can the Ravenous Beast do to prove them wrong? Niamh Sharkey’s droll and strikingly stylized illustrations lend a fanciful flair to this comical tale of beastly competition.

Reason for choosing the book:
The Ravenous Beast appeals to children, as they will empathise with the beast’s uncurbed appetite. He is really a demanding child, and does what he wants when there is no one to stop him. He is depicted eating everything around him, but he is not threatening. Children throughout Europe will see the humour in the situation and will be able to fantasise about what they would do if no one said ‘no’.

Proposed Learning Activities:

 Activity 1 (words and pictures). Play now or download [194 kb]

 Activity 2. Play now or download [22 kb]

Links to relevant sites:
http://www.niamhsharkey.com/
Author’s website

http://niamhsharkey.blogspot.com/2009_01_01_archive.html
Author’s blog

http://niamhsharkey.blogspot.com/2008/08/everyone-can-draw.html
Everyone can draw!

http://www.davidmaybury.ie/journal/?cat=50
Interview with Naimh Sharkey on May 18th about The Ravenous Beast