The Shark Book by Steve Jenkins (review)

It's a match made in heaven—two of the best-known creators of natural history for young readers and the eternally alluring subject of sharks. From the get-go, Jenkins and Page emphasize the variety in sharkdom, offering several spreads of multiple species (to scale next to pictured human silhouettes), many of which will likely be new to youngsters. The book covers basic facts such as points of shark anatomy, methods of obtaining food, and reproduction (most sharks give birth to live pups but some lay eggs) but also offers plenty of focus on enticing topics such as weird sharks, glow-in-the-dark sharks, shark record holders and, of course, the great white shark. There's also information about shark attacks reasonably balanced by a summary of humanity's attack on sharks that's left so many species endangered. The textual facts are fast and tasty, and the collage art is clean and creatively composed, with plenty of looks at toothy mouths but with scientific interest rather than sensationalism driving the treatment. Many pre-readers will clamor for a share, while independent readers looking for the appeal of browsable reference with a frisson of danger will want to dip their toe—warily—in here. A useful table summarizes information on the sharks featured in the book, and a bibliography is included.