An-Animal-a-Month: Sharks (Copy)
Sharks – fear not! Deepen children’s appreciation of these misunderstood fish.
Click on the book covers to find more information about each title.
A world without sharks – scarier than a world with sharks! Author and illustrator Lily William’s concise text and informative, yet whimsical, illustrations show why and how a world without sharks would be out of balance. She shows the far-reaching consequences of imbalance in the oceans and how it would affect land-dwelling animals too, including us. Readers and listeners will come away with a better understanding of tropic cascades and the value of sharks, which might make them a little less scary. Back matter shares the threats sharks face and how everyone can help, as well as a glossary, author’s note, and further resources. Ages 3-9.
Kind of nonfiction: Expository Literature. It narrowly focuses on what would happen if sharks went extinct using a cause-and-effect structure. (My categorization using Melissa Stewart’s 5 Kinds of Nonfiction.)
Ties to Next Generation Science Standards:
K-ESS-1 (Use a model to represent the relationship between the needs of different plants and animals and the places they live.) The text and back matter show the relationships between tertiary consumers, such as sharks, secondary consumers, and primary consumers, in the ocean and on land.
K-ESS3-3 (Communicate solutions that will reduce the impact of humans on land, water, air, and/or other living things in the local environment). The back matter lists seven steps anyone can take to help save sharks. These steps not only protect sharks but the whole ocean ecosystem as well.
3-LS4-4 (Make a claim about the merit of a solution to a problem caused when the environment changes and the types of plants and animals that live there may change.) Again, turn to the back matter for possible solutions to declines in shark populations. Students can discuss the pros and cons of the solutions.
Great white sharks – maybe not what you think! Through author Sy Montgomery’s close narrative style paired with action-packed photos, you’ll feel like you’re onboard as biologist, Greg Skomal, films, tags, and collects data on great white sharks off Cape Cod. You’ll feel even closer to the action as Sy goes cage diving with great whites in Mexico. This is another fantastic title in the Scientist in the Field series that not only shows how science is conducted but also dispels common misconceptions, misconceptions that breed fear and hatred, about these important apex predators. Ages 10+.
Kind of nonfiction: Narrative – it conveys the experience of studying great white sharks. Sidebars and back matter share more information about great whites in a traditional nonfiction style. Students can compare the style of the text with the sidebars and back matter to learn more about these two types of nonfiction writing. The final sidebar is more narrative and shares the story of a woman who started the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy and a club for girls who love sharks. Would your students or children be interested in joining? (My categorization using Melissa Stewart’s 5 Kinds of Nonfiction.)
Not your typical Sunday comic! Do you have a student or child who loves comics or graphic novels? If so, this might be the perfect shark book for them. This title, part of the Science Comics series, combines visual storytelling and humor with boatloads of intriguing facts, including some that I didn’t come across in other shark titles. It covers shark anatomy in-depth, senses, phylogeny, evolution, misconceptions, and efforts to save sharks. Ages 9-13.
Kind of nonfiction: Because this book has fictional narrators, characters, and settings combined with facts, I’m thinking of it as informational fiction, rather than nonfiction. It is well researched and contains reliable information woven into a narrative graphic story. A good title to pique children’s interest and to start research that would be followed up using nonfiction titles.
Caught! When two young whale sharks can’t escape a purse seine net, their fate is uncertain, as is the fate of their entire species. Author Sandra Markle shows us both why and how scientists and volunteers are researching these mysterious creatures. We come away with a new appreciation for the world’s largest fish, for their vital role in the oceans, for how research is done, and for the people who are trying to save whale sharks. Plus, there’s a happy ending – the two young sharks are freed. Ages 9-12.
Kind of nonfiction: A mix of narrative and traditional nonfiction. Sandra Markle immerses us in the experience of studying whale sharks (narrative) and weaves in facts, vocabulary, diagrams, photo captions, and sidebars (traditional). (My categorization using Melissa Stewart’s 5 Kinds of Nonfiction.)
Making sharks relatable! This is an older, award-winning title (Robert F. Sibert Honor Book and winner of John Burroughs Riverby Award) from 2014. I’m including it because author and illustrator Katherine Roy does a superb job of helping us relate to great white sharks, creatures so different from ourselves and so feared. Roy begins by showing that these sharks, like people, have favorite foods, foods worth traveling for. They congregate in the Farallon Island neighborhood to feast on elephant seals at a certain time of year. Roy details why elephant seals are an important food source for the sharks and exactly how the sharks catch them. When the sharks and seals congregate, scientists have a unique opportunity to learn more about them, including the surprising fact that orcas prey on great whites and the different migration patterns of male and female great whites. Ages 7-11.
Kind of nonfiction: Expository Literature – narrowly focused on a specific population of great white sharks, their hunting, and their migration. It would be instructive for students to compare the writing style in this title to the longer, narrative title The Great White Shark Scientist. What are the strengths of each style? Which style do they prefer?
For a humorous, informational fiction picture book about sharks, consider I Am the Shark by Joan Holub and Laurie Keller. It plays with the idea of upmanship and self-acceptance and includes basic information about eight species of sharks.
For a traditional nonfiction book packed with facts about the eight different orders of sharks, check out DK Findout! Sharks.
Finally, for an inspiring picture book biography about the first female shark scientist, read Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist.