The personal stories on the opening pages will hook readers in each of these dramatic titles in the Kingfisher Knowledge series. Sharks begins with a foreword by marine conservationist and shark filmmaker Valerie Taylor, who suffered a shark bite that required 300 stitches. Sharks includes a spread about Jaws, one of the films Taylor worked on; there is also information about the threat to sharks today, including habitat destruction. With exciting double-page spreads featuring freestanding images of museum exhibits, charts, screens, and lots of subheads, the design will draw browsers, and many will want to move on to the related science. The detailed summaries at the end of each chapter will help readers get the big view, and the "Go Further" section, with a bibliography of books and Web sites, allows them to explore much more.

Markle explores the reasons for the relative sizes of shark species. Simple text and close-up photographs of large and small sharks demonstrate how each uniquely shaped body part and adaptation is essential to the animal's survival, helping it to find food, fit into a particular environment, or protect itself from predators. Informative end matter includes a map. Reading list, websites. Glos.

Gr 4-6 This is a pleasant introduction to the varied world of shark species, giving snippets on such critters as the ultra-tiny pygmy ribbontail catshark, the gigantic whale shark, the streamlined blue shark, and the frill wobbegong. In facing-page units, Smith covers such topics as physiology, pregnancy, and birth (no mention of mating), feeding techniques, migrations, and the long history of the shark family. (Yes, there is a spread on attacks.) A final section on "Sharks and People" looks at shark myths and tales, the problems of overfishing, and the need for conservation if these necessary predators can continue to survive. A plethora of photos plumps up the minimal text. Falling conveniently between Claire Llewellyn's easier The Best Book of Sharks (Kingfisher, 1999) and Miranda MacQuitty's more demanding Shark (DK, 2000), this volume will perk up your overfished 597.3's. Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY