Paleo Sharks: Survival of the Strangest [Hardcover]

Timothy J. Bradley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 8, 2007 | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Paleo

If you think today's sharks are fearsome, wait until you see what swam in the oceans hundreds of millions of years ago! Creatures with snouts like saws, and spiral jaws. Sharks so large they could swallow whales whole. Timothy Bradley's vibrant illustrations and razor-sharp prose bring theseferocious fishand their tamer relativesto life with scientific detail. Learn how they survived catastrophic events that completely wiped other creatures out, and see which of their strange adaptations can still be seen in sharks today.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4–7—While chondrichthyans, due to their cartilaginous nature, have been less likely to present as many fossilized remains as their cousins, the bony fishes, enough evidence has been recovered to open fascinating windows into their evolutions (and extinctions) over the last 375 million years. Bradley has sifted through this ancient record and allows readers a peek at some strange creatures. Consider Stethacanthus, displayer of a surfboard-shaped dorsal fin bristling with toothlike spikes, and Helicoprion, dangling a tight spiral of compacted teeth from its lower jaw like some preelectric buzz saw. Accompanied by realistic artwork, the terse text introduces readers to sharks in general and then goes on chronologically to present fragments of data on these long-lost species, about which not much is really known. Included are a handy time line and a size-comparison box for each species (using a human swimmer and a modern great white shark as yardsticks). Bradley also includes some odd cartilaginous "cousins" like Sclerorhynchus and closes with the 50-foot Cenozoic monster, Carcharodon megalodon. For those who have enjoyed Caroline Arnold's Giant Shark: Megalodon, Prehistoric Super Predator (Clarion, 2000) or Deborah Diffily's Jurassic Shark (HarperCollins, 2004), here is a strange new litany to dance trippingly on the tongue.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

An intelligent, handsomely designed look at the ancient fish that are the forerunners of today's efficient predator, the shark. The text is built in double-page spreads, starting with "What is a shark?" The question is answered in a burst of text and an illustration of a shark with bits of information lined to its various parts: eyes, sensors, teeth. One or two ancient sharks are described per spread: a sidebar connects them to contemporary sharks, and a diagram shows their size relative to a human diver. Some of these creatures, known only from fossil remains, are extremely odd, such as Edestus, which apparently had a middle row of teeth that could extend out like a spiked tongue, or the Helicoprion with the buzz-saw jaw--a spiral of teeth. Bradley uses bright colors and hard edges to delineate the best informed guesses as to what these sharks might have looked like. A glossary and bibliography are appended. GraceAnne DeCandido
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books (March 8, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811848787
• ISBN-13: 978-0811848787
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #503,543 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #41 in Books > Children's Books > History > Prehistoric

More About the Author

Tim Bradley has been fascinated by the distant past and the far future from a young age, and filled many sketchpads with drawings of dinosaurs, robots, and spaceships.

As a professional artist, Tim has had the opportunity to work with amazingly talented artists like Syd Mead (Blade Runner, Tron, 2010, Aliens), and companies like Hasbro (Tim worked on Transformers, Star Wars, and Jurassic Park toys).

Lately, Tim has been writing and illustrating non-fiction natural history books for children, with compelling text, and the dynamic, colorful renderings he has become known for. Tim's books have earned awards and accolades from reviewers (The Horn Book, School Library Journal, Kirkus Reviews, Booklist), and he has been invited to hold author signing events at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, The Field Museum, and the National Aquarium.

Tim's most recent projects are middle-grade, illustrated "hard" science fiction novels, in the style of Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov, whose books inspired Tim's imagination as a child. His first novel, INFESTATION, will be debuting in January, 2013 from Scholastic!

You can check out some of Tim's work at his website: http://web.mac.com/raptoryx13

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book, October 20, 2009

By 

D. Powers (GA, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Paleo Sharks: Survival of the Strangest (Hardcover)

This book (and the Paleo series) are excellent! The author put much thought not only into the text of the book, but also the layout. The small added touches add a great deal to kids' enjoyment of these books.

I read this book to my son and daughter and both enjoyed it immensely. The younger one was fascinated by the pictures and the side bars comparing the size of the shark discussed to a human. The older one liked the graphics but also focused more on the text.

Another bonus was the comparison of prehistoric sharks to existing fish. There are some WEIRD sharks in this book and I thought nothing like this is alive today. After reading the side bar on similar living fish (for each shark), I was disabused of my idea. This book proves that nature is amazingly varied and fascinating!

Because of this, I would recommend this book to anyone who has children in the 6+ age for the pictures and side bars. I recommend if you have children in the late elementary to middle school range also, as the text is quite informative and does not talk down to the reader at all.

If you're an adult interested in learning about ancient sharks, I also recommend as a starter book. This book covers a subject that is rarely covered compared to dinosaurs.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teacher Review, March 12, 2008

By 

Barbara "Science Teacher" (Irvine, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paleo Sharks: Survival of the Strangest (Hardcover)

Tim Bradley's PALEO SHARKS has become one of the most popular books in my middle school science classroom. Student comments include: "Awesome illustrations" and "I never knew there were so many kinds of ancient sharks". Tim's book will teach students and adults a new respect for this ancient ocean dweller that has reigned longer than the dinosaurs but has received less attention.

Barbara, Science Teacher

5.0 out of 5 stars Good job, Uncle Tim!, January 24, 2010

By 

Pegasus (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paleo Sharks: Survival of the Strangest (Hardcover)

I actually looked at this book when my uncle [the author] was getting it ready for publishing. It was because of him that I developed my love for all things prehistoric. I recommend this book to anyone who loves paleontology and sharks. It's a great read. I also recommend my uncle's other books, too!