Sharks hit the headlines this past summer for the most distressing reasons, including several fatalities and serious injuries due to attacks along our crowded coastline.

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For the victims, and their loved ones caught up in these harrowing encounters, there is immeasurable loss, sadness and grief.

I never thought I'd be launching my children's picture book, Saving Shark Pup, against this tragic and divisive setting.

As the release day neared, I worried that my gentle, narrative non-fiction story about the rescue of a stranded shark pup might struggle to find sympathy and readers.

However, with fear and misinformation about sharks circling in the media, maybe it was the right time for parents and teachers to start a conversation with children.

Here was an opportunity to help kids understand sharks, their behaviour and their significance in - and importance to - our marine environments.

It's hard not to think of sharks as ferocious monsters - especially those of us who grew up in the era of the fright-filled Jaws horror movies.

But the day a young shark washed up on my local beach in the Sydney suburb of Manly, we saw it as something precious and worth saving.

This fledgling great white was no feared, ferocious predator. It was a defenceless young pup, desperately in need of assistance to return to its home in the wild.

This small shark's struggle inspired my local community. Instead of fleeing the water in fear, everyone rushed to the shoreline to get close to a great white shark and to save it.

The vulnerable pup was a reluctant hero. It didn't want to be up on the sand. It wanted to be free, swimming in its world.

Witnessing the community's changing attitudes inspired me to write a story about a brave shark pup and the people who joined together to rescue him.

The shark, inexplicably dubbed "Fluffy" by a boy in the beach crowd, stayed in my heart for years after its dramatic rescue.

As I walked from Manly to Shelly Beach and up to the headland lookout each morning, I would scan the ocean, wondering if Fluffy had survived and where he might be now. Great whites can live for more than 60 years so I'll be looking for a long time!

I was sure someone would write his story of survival and the bravery and ingenuity of the community that surrounded him. But no one did.

Eventually, I sat down to try to capture Fluffy's story on the page, hoping my words would inspire others to think differently about sharks, too.

Even hearing the word "shark" conjures up a terrifying image of frenzied teeth and blood. And a shark bite is a real danger for humans entering the shark's natural habitat.

But this potential danger also needs to be kept in perspective. As I wrote Fluffy's story, I set out to depict sharks in a way that fosters understanding and does not promote unnecessary fear.

According to the International Shark Attack File (yes, there is such a thing and it's fascinating!) last year there were 65 confirmed unprovoked shark bites around the world, resulting in nine deaths. Each year there are about 5 to 10 deaths globally.

The number of sharks killed by humans is also scary. An estimated 100 million are killed every year - about 11,000 every hour.

Saving Shark Pup is not just about saving one shark. By telling Fluffy's story with emotion and urgency and highlighting the actions of his rescuers, I want readers to feel compelled to help all sharks and protect their ocean ecosystem.

Great white sharks are on the NSW vulnerable threatened species list and face a high risk of extinction for many reasons, such as illegal fishing, climate change, habitat degradation and beach netting. Other sharks and rays are also on the threatened list, including the hammerhead and grey nurse.

Yet without sharks, the entire ocean ecosystem will collapse.

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For me, Fluffy's urgent need to return to his ocean home symbolised that struggle and the need for wildlife rescue and conservation.

As I researched my book, I interviewed Hope Nugent, one of the divers who stayed by the shark pup's side throughout the rescue. Hope spent more than 24 hours in the water with no sleep and wearing heavy equipment.

By the end, she was overwhelmingly exhausted but also in awe of being in the presence of such a majestic animal. Great white sharks can be dangerous. And this one was stressed and in a confined space.

But not once during the rescue did any of the divers feel threatened by Fluffy. They felt honoured to be able to help this magnificent wild creature.

It was that feeling I wanted to capture in Saving Shark Pup. To leave readers thinking about one of the ocean's most misunderstood and maligned creatures in new ways.

To leave them wanting to respect sharks, understand them, and live harmoniously with them.

A former librarian and teacher, author Sharon Dalgleish's latest book, Saving Shark Pup (Allen & Unwin $24.99), is illustrated by Amandine Thomas.

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