Picture-book creator Jim Arnosky turns to the world of sharks in this eighth entry in his All About... series, meant to highlight different kinds of animal life. He comments upon the great antiquity of sharks, who have been swimming the oceans for millions of years, and discusses the various kinds of shark - more than 250 species, worldwide - and the details of shark anatomy and reproduction. Perhaps realizing that his topic is intimidating for some (others relish it, of course), he also includes a page on shark safety, and concludes the book by mentioning that there are some kinds of shark - whale sharks, basking sharks, megamouth sharks - about which we know very little...

Like its predecessors, All About Sharks is an engaging work of natural history for the picture-book set, pairing an informative text with appealing artwork. I myself learned a few things I didn't know, including the fact that sharks have no bones (they have cartilage instead), and that some of them lay eggs, while other give birth to live young. This last surprised me, as sharks are a sub-category of fish, and live birth is very rare in the piscine world. I did know that shark skin is rough, not smooth - I got to touch a shark once, during a school field trip to an aquarium - so I was pleased to see that fact included. Despite the fact that there is no list of further reading - something I have lamented when reading the other books in this series - this is one I would recommend to young animal lovers, particularly those fascinated by sharks. ( )

This is a book all about sharks. There are facts from sizes to the types of food they eat. This would be a good book to read if you were doing a project on sharks or just wanted information on them. ( )

This book states different facts about sharks. It answers the questions most people have about sharks: How big do they grow? How sharp are their teeth? What do they eat? Why do they attack people? This book is great for children wanting to learn more about sharks. I would not recommend this book as a read aloud because of the length and different diagrams, but maybe use some of the diagrams to incorporate into a lesson. ( )

This book ran through the whole cycle of a sharks life. From birth to death and had great pictures to go along with it. We learned what sharks generally eat and how big they can get. Also the many different types of sharks as well.