Sharks Keep Losing Their Teeth (I Didn't Know That)

Provides information about the diet, anatomy, habits, and reproduction of sharks

Grade 4-6-With every two-page section headlined by the ubiquitous phrase "I didn't know that," one might expect these short introductions to become monotonous. Yet design devices make them fresh and exciting. Full-bleed color pages push the action-packed, realistic illustrations into a surreal appearance. Bright cartoon borders, supplementary statements, and decorations surround the main illustration and text. Special features include true-or-false questions with answers, objects to "Search & Find," and projects. Sharks surveys body structure, hunting, eating, and reproduction and discusses why these animals have more to fear from humans than the reverse. The simplicity of the text can be confusing. After listing the odd items found in their stomachs ("beer cans...an old tire," etc.), Llewellyn states on the next page that "Sharks have a good sense of taste and spit out things that are bad." Seymour Simon's Sharks (HarperCollins, 1995) and Sandra Markle's Outside and Inside Sharks (Atheneum, 1996) offer the same information. Some Plants surveys rainforest flora and fauna, human inhabitants, food and medicinal products, and destruction. This book's British origin is evident in the description of the Amazonian rainforest as "almost 30 times bigger than the U.K." U.K. is not defined nor is its size familiar to most American children. Jenny Wood's Rain Forests (Gareth Steven, 1991) is illustrated with sharp, full-color photographs and makes a much stronger case against rainforest destruction.
Ann G. Brouse, Big Flats Branch Library, NY
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.