From School Library Journal
Grade 4-5?In a narrative that flows from the general to the specific, Simon describes the appearance, physical characteristics, and behavior of sharks. Large, full-color photographs amplify the text and hint at its contents. For example, a closeup of a sand tiger shark's open mouth and row upon row of teeth invites readers into the facing text, which describes how sharks bite and what happens when a tooth is broken or lost. A photo of the gaping mouth of a whale shark introduces the filter-feeders, a small group without teeth. The information is not indexed or divided into chapters. This is not as detailed a treatment as Mary M. Cerullo's Sharks (Cobblehill, 1993) or Sharks (Facts on File, 1987). Instead, it's an introduction to the topic that combines seamless description with excellent photos to describe creatures that never fail to fascinate.?Frances E. Millhouser, Chantilly Regional Library, VACopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
Ages 7^-9. With a good balance of text and illustrations, Simon introduces the world of sharks. Always informative, he offers basic information about their variety, habits, physical characteristics, and life cycles. Although not captioned, the excellent full-color photographs relate so closely to the text on the opposite page that the pictures work in harmony with the words. An effective introduction to sharks. Carolyn Phelan

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Did you know that...

There are over 350 different kinds of sharks.

Sharks can travel great distances- up to thousands of miles!

Some sharks will eat anything they can swallow- including bits of garbage, license plates, and even paint cans.

You have a better chance of being hit by lightning than of being attacked by a shark.

Learn everything you ever wanted to know- and more- about these fascinating demons of the deep.

Author Biography: Seymour Simon was born in New York City. He received his B.A. degree from City College, New York, and did graduate work there. Mr. Simon is the author of many highly acclaimed science books for young readers. He is a recipient of a Lifetime Achievement Commendation from the National Forum on Children's Science Books and the Eva L. Gordon Award from the Nature Society for his contribution to children's science literature. His many award-winning books include How to be a Space Scientist in your own home and photographic books on space: Galaxies, Jupiter, Saturn, The Sun, Stars, Mars, and Uranus. More than sixty of his books have been selected as Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children by the National Science Teachers Association. Some of his most recent books for HarperCollins are Snakes, Big Cats, Whales, and Wolves.Mr. Simon lives in Great Neck, New York.

FROM THE CRITICS

Children's Literature - Catherine Campbell Wright

Just looking at the cover of Sharks will convince you that you need to learn all you can about sharks! The big, bold, yellow title and the ominous creature on the cover will lure readers right into this fact-filled and clearly presented book. Every page contains a full-sized, gorgeous, and sometimes unsettling photograph of a shark. We see a baby swell shark emerging from its egg case, an enormous-looking sand tiger shark and its rows of sharp teeth, hammerheads swimming in sunlit shallow water, and a blacktip reef shark devouring a large mackerel. Simon is skilled at writing for readers who are unfamiliar with scientific terminology. When he says that sharks are cold-blooded, the very next sentence tells readers just what cold-blooded means. This is a fun and informative book.

Children's Literature - Beverly Kobrin

At maturity, the sea's prime predator can be from six inches and a few ounces to 60 feet and 20 tons big; white, black, brown, green, purple, blue or polka dotted; and second only, perhaps, to dinosaurs for "grabbing" kids-as you'll discover when you put within easy reach Seymour Simon's smooth-flowing narrative which alternates with striking full-page photographs to dispel myths and reveal truths about sharks physical characteristics, reproduction, and relatively small threat to people.

School Library Journal

Gr 4-5In a narrative that flows from the general to the specific, Simon describes the appearance, physical characteristics, and behavior of sharks. Large, full-color photographs amplify the text and hint at its contents. For example, a closeup of a sand tiger shark's open mouth and row upon row of teeth invites readers into the facing text, which describes how sharks bite and what happens when a tooth is broken or lost. A photo of the gaping mouth of a whale shark introduces the filter-feeders, a small group without teeth. The information is not indexed or divided into chapters. This is not as detailed a treatment as Mary M. Cerullo's Sharks (Cobblehill, 1993) or Sharks (Facts on File, 1987). Instead, it's an introduction to the topic that combines seamless description with excellent photos to describe creatures that never fail to fascinate.Frances E. Millhouser, Chantilly Regional Library, VA

BookList - Carolyn Phelan