ALA Booklist (Wed Oct 01 00:00:00 CDT 2003)

Davies manages to impart a remarkable amount of information about sharks in this picture-book science volume, which emphasizes that sharks come in a variety of shapes and sizes and most are not dangerous. What's more, Croft's bright, humorous artwork (including a great picture of the Australian wobbegong shark sneaking up on a pair of smiling crabs) and the clever layout will make this a first choice for many young children. The double-page spread diagrams showing labeled parts of the shark, inside and outside, are also especially nice. The main text appears in good-size display type, with added tidbits placed around the pages in smaller print. Solid nonfiction on a popular subject for a young age group.

Horn Book (Thu Apr 01 00:00:00 CST 2004)

Davies takes readers on a tour of sharks of all shapes and sizes, covering oddities in adaptation as well as basic anatomy and behaviors. Everything works in this book--the informative yet humorous writing, the not-too-scary illustrations, and a superb layout effect. The book ends contrasting the annual death toll of humans by sharks (6) with that of sharks by humans (100 million). Ind.

Kirkus Reviews

Rarely do author and illustrator complement each other as perfectly as in this undersea jewel. Davies, a zoologist who often writes about the sea, uses humor and a touch of child-friendly whimsy to convey a lot of sound scientific knowledge about this ancient type of animal. "Who would expect a shark to . . . have built-in fairy lights . . . or blow up like a party balloon . . . or lie on the sea floor like a scrap of old carpet?" She crafts a true storyline—what makes sharks sharks?—and carries it through to the end. Croft's lavish acrylics add vibrant color, personable fish, and anatomic detail. Layout and type design enhance the illustrations; the package can't be beat. Surprising, indeed. (Junior Library Guild Selection) (Nonfiction. 5-8)

School Library Journal

Gr 1-3-The major premise of this book is that sharks vary greatly in size and shape. The front and back endpapers capture the dwarf lantern shark at just 6 inches in length, the whale shark measuring more than 39 feet, and many other species between these extremes. Although in some cases the colorful acrylic-and-pastel pictures show slightly anthropomorphized creatures, readers can glean their basic anatomical features. Varying print size emphasizes concepts and creates drama and aesthetic interest. The text highlights unusual features of lesser-known sharks, and two spreads show internal and external similarities among all sharks. The book is chock-full of fascinating information about "sharkish" behavior, which for only 3 of the 500 types of sharks includes attacking humans with any regularity. Davies concludes with a notion that these animals have much more to fear from humans than vice versa. Although many of today's young shark enthusiasts insist on full-color photographs, the attractiveness of the typefaces, the anatomical diagrams, and the interesting facts presented here should help this title make a splash.-Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, Waterford, NJ Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.