Sharks! (National Geographic Readers Series) »

He’s quick. He’s silent. He has five rows of deadly teeth. Chomp! Meet the shark—the fish who ruled the deep before dinosaurs roamed the Earth! This fish has soft cartilage so he can glide, twist, and turn before his prey can say "gulp!" He can smell a single drop of blood in 25 million drops of ocean. He can feel electricity given off by his prey. He will lose and replace more than 10,000 teeth in his lifetime. Cool photos bring kids into the shark’s world. Fun facts go deep into the shark’s scary science.

Children's Literature

Sharks have been around longer than dinosaurs, and they live in every ocean. Sharks have cartilage which allows them to turn and move, as well as bumpy skin which protects them and helps them swim faster. Shark pups grow in eggs or in their mother's bodies. Each shark is different, depending on the breed. Pups are born in shallow water and stay there until they are old enough to swim deeper. Sharks have keen senses of smell and sight, which enable them to catch their prey. Like humans, sharks have many different types of teeth; unlike humans, they have many rows of teeth and their teeth grow back when they lose one. The photography in this factual book is realistic and complements the text nicely. The angles of the pictures are incredible and attention-getting. The reader will enjoy the jokes that appear at the top of some of the pages; these help to keeps the book entertaining. The vocabulary throughout is both age-appropriate and challenging at the same time. The reader is sure to learn something from this book. This is part of the "National Geographic Kids" series. Reviewer: Rachel Miller

Chomp!     4
Shark Pups     8
Pups Grow Up     12
What Big Teeth You Have     16
Imagine This!     20
Blue-Ribbon Sharks     22
Now You See Them     24
... Now You Don't     26
Shark Attack!     28
People Attack?     30
Picture Glossary     32