Surprising Sharks (Nature Storybooks)
Grade 1-3-The major premise of this book is that sharks vary greatly in size and shape. The front and back endpapers capture the dwarf lantern shark at just 6 inches in length, the whale shark measuring more than 39 feet, and many other species between these extremes. Although in some cases the colorful acrylic-and-pastel pictures show slightly anthropomorphized creatures, readers can glean their basic anatomical features. Varying print size emphasizes concepts and creates drama and aesthetic interest. The text highlights unusual features of lesser-known sharks, and two spreads show internal and external similarities among all sharks. The book is chock-full of fascinating information about "sharkish" behavior, which for only 3 of the 500 types of sharks includes attacking humans with any regularity. Davies concludes with a notion that these animals have much more to fear from humans than vice versa. Although many of today's young shark enthusiasts insist on full-color photographs, the attractiveness of the typefaces, the anatomical diagrams, and the interesting facts presented here should help this title make a splash.Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, Waterford, NJCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.