The Shark Book

K-Gr 4–Jenkins and Page have again teamed up for an in-depth look at an animal: This time their subject is sharks. Like their previous books, this one does a deep dive into all things about its subject. There are lots of short passages with interesting facts about sharks, including their size—from bigger than a bus to small enough to fit in the palm of a human hand. There are also pages about the function of sharks’ anatomy—readers will learn, for example, that sharks’ scary dorsal fin is used to stabilize their body in the water. The artwork is striking and beautiful. Each double-page spread shows the variety of shapes and textures of sharks as well their gorgeous markings. Every spread also includes a human for a scale of reference to the size of the sharks. This book steers away from some of the scarier aspects of sharks, so there are no pictures of massive sharks chomping on unsuspecting prey. The work is thoughtfully conceived and will provide hours of perusal for shark fans, no matter their age.