Surprising Sharks

A great resource for teachers!

Introducing READ, LISTEN, & WONDER now in peggable, polybagged format.
This vibrant book-and-CD series brings the best of our Read and Wonder nature stories to life.

Each paperback title in the series includes a CD that features:
* an engaging read-aloud with sound effects
* a read-along opportunity guided by prompts
* a segment focusing on fascinating facts

"SHAAAARRRKK!" That's probably the last word anyone wants to hear while swimming in the warm blue sea. But most sharks aren't at all what people expect. In fact, those who think all sharks are giant, man-eating killers are in for a surprise. The compelling narrative, colorful illustrations, and captivating facts in SURPRISING SHARKS reveal that sharks come in all shapes and sizes — and probably should be more afraid of humans than we are of them.

Children's Literature

Zoologist-author Nicola Davies has consistently earned accolades for her books, and now some of them have been reissued with a CD in the "Read, Listen & Wonder" series. What is it about little kids and big critter teeth? Davies understands the thrills and chills inspired by denizens of the deep. In Surprising Sharks, she plays with the stereotype of sharks as giant man-killers. Instead of the great white, kids first meet the dwarf lantern shark, which is "just bigger than a chocolate bar." Sharks, writes Davies, "are not at all what you might expect." Black lantern sharks have light-making organs on their tummies, swell sharks puff up to protect themselves from predators and the small cookie-cutter shark sports a whimsical name and shape. This playful text, complemented nicely by James Croft's bright illustrations, shows how sharks breathe, hunt and have babies. It also provides a startling statistic: "every year people kill 100 million sharks." The seas are fast losing these mighty swimmers so important to Earth's ecosystem for 300 million years. Kids are invited to take an informative journey with this magnificent marine animal both in the book and with the audio CD. The story is read by Alan Marriott and then additional facts are provided about sharks. The third and final track has the book being read again with music to assist young readers with the page turns. Reviewer: Mary Quattlebaum and Marilyn Courtot

Nicola Davies, a zoologist and author of such books as WILD ABOUT DOLPHINS, ONE TINY TURTLE, and BAT LOVES THE NIGHT, has a special love of the sea. She has seen basking sharks off the coast of England and once came face to face with a shark while she was snorkeling - a baby spotted dogfish about the size of a sardine. Since sharks have been on Earth a lot longer than humans, she feels they deserve our respect and protection. She lives in Somerset, England.

James Croft has always enjoyed drawing sharks and finds that their teeth, speed, and the sense of danger they evoke fuel his imagination like no other creature. The illustrator of numerous books for children, including the Brand New Readers MOUSE HAS FUN and MOUSE GOES OUT by Phyllis Root, James Croft lives and works in London.