Tri State Young Adult Book Review Committee, Ginter Park Elementary (Dinah Emerson)

Critical Annotation: Elementary students who enjoy learning about sharks will appreciate this new title on the blue shark. The author provides readers with information on the blue shark’s identification, physical characteristics, including body parts, skin, teeth, and how fast they swim and how far they can travel. Readers gain knowledge about the shark’s birth process through their life as an adult fish. Information on the sharks’ migration, their senses, and how they hunt for food and or become prey for larger fish and/or animals. The author addresses the current status of blue sharks and how researchers still have a great deal to learn about this great sea creature.

Series Comments: Each title in this series focuses on a different shark. From the gentle whale shark to the vicious great white, sharks vary greatly from one species to the next. Eleven different titles have been published as of this review. Recommendations: Would make a nice addition to an elementary school library’s shark collection. — “A narrative text draws the reader into the world of the blue shark. Basic information is given on its habitat, appearance, diet, and life cycle. Interesting facts are given on how scientists track the migrations of blue sharks and their status as a near threatened species. This is definitely a high interest title that will appeal to children and be useful for the study of ocean animals. There are plenty of photos of this creature in its habitat including one of its long, serrated teeth which will capture the attention of readers. There are six titles in the Pilot — Shark Fact Files series. Included is a glossary and index. Factsurfer.com is recommended for further information." — “Bellwether Media’s Shark Fact Files is a series of children’s educational books aimed at the 4th through 7th grade interest levels. Using sharks as a high-interest topic to engage young readers, this 12-book set encourages literacy skills with short narratives on the anatomy, behavior, geographic distribution, and conservation status of several different species (e.g., the Blue Shark, Mako Shark, and Whale Shark books were considered here). Each 24-page volume promotes higher order thinking by highlighting scientific vocabulary in context, with a glossary at the end to expand upon terms as needed. Vivid full-page photography accompanies the text, captions provide fun facts, and a website given at the end of the book directs readers to internet resources where they can find more information. By addressing impacts of fisheries and ecotourism in the conservation sections, the books also introduce the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) rating system and justifications behind current shark status classifications, demonstrating the connection between sharks and society. Although some of the terms presented might be a bit technical for casual young readers, the books are engaging and would particularly resonate with budding animal or marine biology enthusiasts.” – Science Books & Films