Sharks!

October 1, 2001
Gr 1-3-An easy-reader look at those most popular, if fearsome, fish. Eye-catching illustrations accompany Clarke's text, which includes basic facts on shark physiology and reproduction (no mention of mating), and their wide variety of size, shape, and coloration (speaking of which, Petruccio's lemon shark is brilliantly yellow, and his pink goblin shark, determinedly pink). Oversimplification creeps in with such generalizations as "And sharks love to eat seals" that should be modified by the word "some," as whale sharks are plankton grazers and tiny lantern sharks would not have a prayer of preying on a swiftly swimming seal. However, the topic is surefire, and this book, which is simpler than Allan Fowler's The Best Way to See a Shark (Children's, 1995) or Melvin Berger's Chomp! (Scholastic, 2001), and on about the same level as Joanna Cole's Hungry, Hungry Sharks (Random, 1986), will circulate nicely.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY

Copyright 2001 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.