Eyewitness: Shark [Hardcover]

Miranda MacQuitty (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Series: DK Eyewitness Books

Discover the fascinating world of sharks -- their behavior and secret underwater lives.

There is little to rival the grace and beauty of a great white shark as it cuts its way effortlessly through the water, the supreme predator of the ocean. But not all sharks are the sleek and bloody killers depicted in films. Some, like the harmless megamouth, feed solely on plankton. Fin out about the natural history, behavior, and habits of sharks and their relatives and why so many myths surround these magnificent creatures. See inside the mouth of a great white, a school of hammerheads, the rarest shark in the world, a lemon shark pup being born and how sharks are tagged. Learn why it is so important for sharks to be saved, why South Sea Islanders worshiped the shark, how the Earth's magnetic field affects shark migration, how a shark can detect its prey and what a great white looks like to a diver in an underwater cage. Discover why an angel shark is flat, why sharks sometimes eat each other, what gill rakers do, how rays are related to sharks and which shark is the fastest swimmer. And much, much more!

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-- A sensationalist survey of the species, Shark concentrates on the unusual, the strange, the odd, and the frightening with minimal text and clear, bright illustrations. Although MacQuity places the risk of shark attack in its proper perspective (people are more likely to die in car accidents), the photographs and sections of such protective measures as mesh nets, repellents, electric - current barriers, etc., continue to promote the image of sharks as wanton killers. Every page is littered with full-color illustrations, all sizes of photographs, cut-outs from larger photographs, reproductions, drawings, cartoons, maps, and more. The text is scattered all over the page to accompany the illustrations, but not necessarily to explain them. A small classification chart shows tiny drawings of all the sharks, and the common characteristic that links them is mentioned in a sentence but not explained . The drawings of the internal organs are good, but the labels merely name, not define a scroll valve in an intestine, the stomach's ascending limb, and the intestines' spiral and/or ring valves. The quality and diversity of the photographs is undeniable (there's even a photograph of a pair of mating sharks), but even with an index, this is clearly a book for dipping in and out of, and not for solid information. --Frances E. Millhouser, Reston Regional Library, VA
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

...a mini museum between the covers of a book. [Eyewitness series] -- The New York Times

These books' striking visual impact will draw in even the most casual readers. [Eyewitness series] -- School Library Journal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN; 1st edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789457784
• ISBN-13: 978-0789457783
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,248,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very informative text supported by exciting photographs., July 31, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Shark (Eyewitness Books) (Hardcover)

We purchased this book for our three year old who is in a shark phase, thanks to Microsoft's Dangerous Creatures CD-Rom, and he loves it. While the text is over his head, the photos are right on his level. He will enjoy the photos now and the text in a couple years. This is an excellent book for those, both young and old, who have an interest in sharks.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THIS BOOK IS AWSOME!! I LOVED IT!! SHARKS ARE GOOD NOT BAD!!, August 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Shark (Eyewitness Books) (Hardcover)

This is an absolutely beyond Awsome book!!! It is my favorite book! I am obsessed with sharks and I love sharks, so I loved this book! It tells how sharks breed their babys, where all the shark attacks were, The Grate White Shark, The gentel Giants like the Whale Shark and much, much more!!! It told me great facts, like the Megamouth shark is the rarest shark and was discovered in 1976, Sharks are made out of cartilege, The whale shark is the biggest fish in the world and only eats shrimp, Bull Sharks can swim down Rivers, Black Tip Reef sharks are very swift, shark's food can stay in the shark's stomach for more then 2 weeks and most importantley of all, SHARKS ARE GOOD NOT BAD AND DON'T LISTEN TO JAWS! It tells EVERYTHING you want to know about sharks! You should buy this book!

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is AMAZING!, April 29, 2002

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Eyewitness: Shark (Hardcover)

This book is full of great information on Sharks and spectacular photographs! If you are looking for a GREAT Shark book, then THIS is the book for you!! (I would give this book MORE than 5 stars if it were avaible!)