Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Sharks and Other Sea Monsters [Hardcover]

Robert Sabuda (Author), Matthew Reinhart (Author)

Book Description

Release date: April 11, 2006 | Age Range: 5 - 9 years | Lexile Measure: 1330L (What's this?)

Just when you thought it was safe to go in the water! The second astonishing ENCYCLOPEDIA PREHISTORICA book from Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart is about to pop up everywhere.

While dinosaurs patrolled the lands, massive prehistoric sharks, giant scorpions, and colossal squid cruised the ancient oceans - most with just one thing in mind: eat or be eaten. In this companion volume to the best-selling ENCYCLOPEDIA PREHISTORICA: DINOSAURS, pop-up masters Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart explore the prehistoric underwater world, where monsters like megalodon ruled the waves.

Full of captivating facts and more than 35 breathtaking pop-ups, this incredible volume is sure to astonish and amaze everyone from budding marine biologists to confirmed landlubbers. After all, if prehistoric coelacanths and crocodiles are still around, what else might be lurking in today's largely unexplored oceans?

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-5–This companion to Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Dinosaurs (Candlewick, 2005) uses equally amazing pop-up illustrations to introduce a fascinating array of ancient sea creatures. From the creepy-crawly invertebrates of the Paleozoic Era to the toothy reptiles of the Mesozoic to the mammoth mammals of the Cenozoic, the enjoyably chatty text offers brief sketches of the changing environment and its inhabitants. The colorful spreads feature large, often breathtaking paper-engineered renderings of prehistoric species, supplemented by smaller, booklike foldouts that provide additional information along with more visual fireworks. Readers will meet a feisty pterygotus (a lobster look-alike that grew to seven feet), an eight-ton sarcosuchus (a crocodilian with a horrendous overbite, and…nearly 100 teeth, some the size of railroad spikes!), and a massive megalodon (a shark ancestor with jaws that could open wide enough to swallow a hippopotamus whole). Spectacular effects include a three-dimensional kronosaurus skeleton with intricately sculpted vertebrae, tinted plastic inserts that evoke murky underwater scenes, and an action-packed, pop-up battle between two long-necked behemoths. There is not much detail here, but the authors do include amusing tidbits about outlandish fossil hunters and references to legendary monsters (Kraken, giant sea snakes, etc). Fun from cover to cover, this attention-grabbing offering will captivate readers, despite its delicate structure and limited shelf life.–Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 1-3. The focus of this second entry in the Encyclopedia Prehistorica series of pop-up informational books, which began with Dinosaurs (2005), is not as narrow as the title suggests. An overview of the Paleozoic, Mesozoic, and Cenozoic eras starts things off, and the lively facts about high-profile predators (a massive megalodon could "swallow a hippopotamus whole") are interspersed with information about not particularly monstrous creatures and sidebars about paleontological research. The pops, however, are the main event. On one spread, a gape-mouthed shark plunges toward unsuspecting readers; on another, frosted plastic mimics the ocean's surface. Gatefolds and inset minibooks expand the capacity of the book's seven spreads. Unfortunately, the paper sculptures occasionally obscure the text or catch on the booklets' pages, the artwork often lacks identifying captions, and some of the creatures are introduced without referencing their proper time period. But even if children find the details difficult to synthesize, the sheer wonder generated by the collaborators' dimensional sleight-of-hand will more than justify purchase. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 5 - 9 years
  
• Hardcover
• Publisher: Candlewick; Pop edition (April 11, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076362229X
• ISBN-13: 978-0763622299
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 2.3 x 9.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #98,483 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #28 in Books > Education & Reference > Encyclopedias > Veterinary
  • #81 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Fish

More About the Author

ROBERT SABUDA is the co-creator of the first book in this series, ENCYCLOPEDIA PREHISTORICA: DINOSAURS. And he is the force behind many stunning best-selling pop-up books, including America the Beautiful, Alice in Wonderland, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, and Winter's Tale: An Original Pop-up Journey. MATTHEW REINHART is the co-creator of ENCYCLOPEDIA PREHISTORICA: DINOSAURS. And he has created many other award-winning pop-up books, including the Young Naturalist's series, The Ark, Animal Opposites, and Cinderella: A Pop-Up Fairy Tale.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A complicated pop-up June 25, 2006

By Terry W. Mccammon II

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Most collectors of Pop-ups go through stages, ranging from things that strike our values to books we find artistically challenging. Sabuda's work is always very creative, HIGHLY original, and his engineering is complicated.

This book is no exception. It is grand to look at, colorful (unlike his white works), and the largeness of his Pop-ups makes you feel the sharks are coming off the page.

I would not classify this book as for kids. Its not a fun read, there is no story. Its an encyclopedia, with facts about pehistoric sea creatures. The pop-ups in some places dont go back nicely, and it might take a delicate touch, something that isnt found in your average 6 year old.

IM not saying that it isnt a book for a child. In fact my 6 year old dinosaur loving daughter LOVES this book, but since dad is a collector of pop-ups, we treat it carefully and read it together.

A great book, but consider who you are buying it for.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the greatest pop-up book EVER MADE!!!!! May 5, 2006

By Book Hunter Gatherer

Format:Hardcover

I know... you think I'm exaggerating. You've seen very cool pop-ups before. You may even be a huge Sabuda fan, and you know that that Dinosaur book of his and Reinhart's was off-the-charts fantastic, so you might assume that the Shark one can't possibly be any better that that.

You're wrong. It is better. Holy moly, it's even better. All the pop-ups REAR out of the book at you. They practically take a bite out of you. The Jaws theme practically plays. Every single page is amazing, and the popups are bigger than ever, more plentiful than ever, more intricate than ever.

Calling this a pop-up book just doesn't do this justice. Even "magnificent paper engineering" doesn't do this justice. This is wonderful voo-doo magic. That's what this is.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Exceptional pop-up book May 3, 2006

By sb-lynn TOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Hardcover

I have always been a big fan of pop-up books, and this is one of the best I've ever seen. It's beautiful and fun, and recommended for kids of all ages.

Highly entertaining, and highly recommended.

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Sharks? June 5, 2006

By mookie

Format:Hardcover

I'm a big Sabuda fan. However, if you're looking for sharks this isn't your book. A better title would have been "Other Sea Monsters and a Shark."

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Now a NJ Mom May 30, 2007

By NYC Girl

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

My son received this as a gift and I have never seen a more beautiful book. There are pop-ups within pop-ups within pop-ups. The illustrations are amazing. The pop-ups are oragami like. It makes a beautiful gift -- but I wouldn't give it to a child under the age of 5.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece of Pop-up books. August 14, 2006

By John Matlock

Format:Hardcover

A Great Book to Read With the Kid on your lap. Probably best for kids in the couple or three grades. Best for kids on your lap because pop-up books are rather fragile. Grabbing the nose of the shark and using it as a handle to lug the book around is likely to lose the nose to your shark.

This book is a masterpiece of the pop-up genre. It's twelve pages generally contain a major and a minor pop-up. Our favorite is the shark on the third page you get to where the shark bites as you open and close the book. Of course you have to supply the tiny fingers for the shark to bite.

In addition each of the pages has another folded out page or two that have additional pop-ups. All a masterpiece of paper engineering.

Kids at that age seem to all have a fascination with big dangerous creachers, especially since they know they are home and safe from the big teeth.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Wow! Incredible! Don't buy this for your kid January 27, 2007

By Charlotte

Format:Hardcover

What a work of art! It's inconceivable that the authors could cram so many pop-ups into one book, and do such a fabulous job.

Having said that, I'll browse this book together with my six-year old, and say "No, don't pull. . .no, don't touch. . .here, let me get that. . . "

With most pop-up books I won't go through this routine. It's just that I love this book so much, I'd be sad if anything happened to it. You've got to see it to believe it; because of its fragile nature, this one will never be found in a library.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely Incredible September 1, 2006

By Annemarie Karnbach

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

I was in awe when my son received the Dinosaur book for Christmas from his Grandfather. I saw this book in a Parents magazine and had to get it based on the fact that the Dino one was incredible. My 3 year old loves it! It's not a book to let him play with unless you want it destroyed. Instead, this book allows us to make some quality time for each other when we sit down and look through it. It's very informational, and as he grows older I'm sure he'll read it, but at this point the pop-ups are worth it!