Shark Lady: True Adventures of Eugenie Clark [Paperback]

Ann Mcgovern (Author), Ruth Chew (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Scholastic Biography

One Saturday, when Eugenie Clark was nine years old, her mother took her into the city to visit the Aquarium. Eugenie was fascinated by the fish she saw there, especially the biggest -- the shark. Soon, Eugenie was going every week, and Saturdays were never quite the same.

As her fascination grew, she asked her mother to help her set up her own aquarium at home. Her mother shared her interest and started bring home new fish for Eugenie as a surprise. When it was time for Eugenie to go to college, she knew she wanted to be an ichthyologist - a person who studies and works with fish. How Eugenie Clark became a world-famous scientist ... became the director of a marine laboratory and a professor of zoology ... and her unforgettable adventures as she traveled around the world to study sharks, makes exciting reading.

The story of Eugenie Clark is true, and she is still studying sharks today. "I love my work," she says, "and I never stop learning about the sea and its creatures."

Editorial Reviews

Review

Outstanding Science Book for Children -- National Science Teachers Association and the Childrens Book Council, 1978

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

From Chapter 3: Eugenie had learned how to skin a dead animal in the lab in college, but she felt she needed more practice. One day the neighborhood grocer killed a big rat in his store and Eugenie begged to have it.

The grocer wrapped it up and she took it home. Good. There was nobody in the house. Quickly Eugenie skinned it. Then she got out one of her grandmother's cooking pots.

She wanted the skeleton. She would have to boil the rat. Every five minutes Eugenie ran into the street to see if Grandma was coming. Then she ran into the house again and checked the pot. The rat was still boiling on the stove when Eugenie suddenly heard Grandma's footsteps outside.

What could Eugenie do?

It was too late to do anything. Grandma was standing in the kitchen doorway.

"Genie, darling," she said. "What are you cooking?"

Before Eugenie could stop her, she lifted the pot cover, peered inside, and saw the big rat's two sharp teeth.

Grandma was very angry. And Eugenie was not allowed to cook in the kitchen again for a long time.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 91 pages
• Publisher: Scholastic Paperbacks (January 1978)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0590447718
• ISBN-13: 978-0590447713
• Product Dimensions: 0.2 x 5.2 x 7.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #289,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #87 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Animals > Marine Life > Nonfiction

More About the Author

Ann McGovern is the author of over 55 books for children and sales of her books exceed 30 million. She is the author of the classics STONE SOUP and TOO MUCH NOISE, as well as several IF YOU LIVED... books.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book inspired my lifelong fascination with sharks., April 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Shark Lady: True Adventures of Eugenie Clark (Paperback)

I am an educator at the Oregon Coast Aquarium. I teach about sharks and the marine environment because I think education is the best conservation tactic we have. My lifelong fascination with sharks and the ocean all began with this book. Eugenie Clark was an inspiration. This book did a marvelous job of conveying Dr. Clark's enthusiam and awe for not just sharks but for science. This book changed my life.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 4th Grade! Mrs. Kirby!, May 27, 2006

By 

Vaps "of the turning page" (Royal Palm Beach, FL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shark Lady: True Adventures of Eugenie Clark (Paperback)

Unforgettable. I'd recommend it for children and adults alike. Reading of this woman's adventures had a great impact on how I look at the world. From the story of her childhood to some of her most exciting adventures with the sharks, the book is as masterfully written as any I've known. I can't believe this stuff actually happened.

4.0 out of 5 stars "It Was An Unforgettable Moment in My Life...", August 15, 2009

By 

R. M. Fisher "Raye" (New Zealand = Middle Earth!) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Shark Lady: True Adventures of Eugenie Clark (Paperback)

As a child, Eugenie Clark was fascinated by fish at the aquarium, spending every Saturday there while her mother worked. These afternoons led directly to her future career as one of the leading experts in her field, as well as the title "Shark Lady."

This children's biography by Ann McGovern covers Clark's childhood, her trials and tribulations as a student, and then the many adventures that she embarked on during her adult career, including her first time walking on the bottom of the sea in a diving helmet, meeting the king of a small island in the Pacific, founding a research centre in Florida, and presenting a trained shark as a gift to the Crown Prince of Japan.

Likewise, the book recounts the various methods of research performed by Clark and her team, including the mystery of the "sleeping sharks" and the discovery of poisonous secretion of the fish known as the Moses sole.

Told in straightforward prose, the book captures the excitement and wonder of ichthyology and marine biology, making the subjects accessible for young readers; particularly those that may already have an interest in these fields. The portrayal of Clark herself is full of spark and life: precocious as a child, and full of enthusiasm as an adult, the narrative is strewn with her own words, quoted from various National Geographic articles. Ruth Chew provides simple but evocative pencil illustrations.

Ultimately, whether one is interested in sharks or not, this is a short but inspiring story that tells of a dream fulfilled and a life well-lived.