Review: King of the Ocean
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 25, 2013
Emma Child opens the world of sharks to both children and adults alike. Instead of the unfortunate eponymous JAWS name frightening animal lovers away, this book introduces the 368 different types of sharks that exist in our oceans – from the size of a school bus to the size of a tennis ball! Child takes us through the anatomy of sharks (cartilage versus bones, ability to move so choreographically, the various rows of teeth that grow back if damaged, their exceptionally sensitive sense of smell and vision, and electro-sensors that can detect the presence of any animal that may serve as prey, etc).Child serves up some interesting facts about habitat – did you know that sharks can live in rivers and lakes in addition to seas and oceans? They are both homebodies and migrators, their diet is meat – whether that meat comes form other fish or from shellfish and swim around all day with their mouths open to serve as filters for any available but unaware prey. She has fun with words, as I describing what a ‘school’ means to sharks, how the word ‘pups’ applies to baby sharks, maternal habits (mothers never take care of their babies – the newborns just swim away - their choices of living alone or in groups, and more.Then the book turns to the various kinds of sharks – Black Tip Reef Sharks, Bull Sharks, Hammerhead Shark, Great White Sharks, Lemon Sharks, Nurse Sharks, Whale Sharks, Wobbegong Sharks, and with each description of the unique features of each shark there is an accompanying extremely fine color photograph of these fascinating creatures.  Child then talks about shark attacks (only 25 of the 368 types attack people) and how important sharks are in the food chain.This is a book rich in information, one of the most beautifully illustrated with magnificent color photographs of the subjects, and is well worth learning about both for children’s education about anima; life and to dispel unnecessary anxieties about a truly magnificent King of the Ocean. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, October 13