Shark Lady

Written by an author who also happens to be a zoologist, Eugenie Clark’s life story shows incredible devotion to teaching and learning about her beloved sharks and overcoming ridiculous gender obstacles of the time. A true hero!

Bonus: more weird and awesome shark facts can be discovered in the back.

Who doesn’t love a story about a woman brave enough to swim with sharks?

In a time when women weren’t supposed to be scientists, Eugenie Clark fell in love with sharks. She devoted her life to learning about them and taught the world that sharks aren’t bad and have a special place in our world.

As the author of the Mermaid Tales series, I have studied about many different ocean creatures and love quizzing kids about them. One of my questions: Are sharks bad is almost always answered with a yes. I tell students the truth, just like Eugenie Clark… show more.

A breezy, beautiful book about two misunderstood species – sharks and women scientists.

Keating’s text follows Dr. Clark from childhood until her death in 2015. It chronicles Clark’s contributions to marine biology, not least among which is the world’s first study of sleeping sharks (I learned all kinds of other things too). Miguéns’ rich artwork gives the book a magical realist flavour, as she interprets how sharks inhabit Clarks’ world as a child.

Despite the good work of scientists like Clark, sharks are still seen as creatures to fear, and this is a good book with which to chomp away… show more.

Sharks are fascinating! I’m sure most kids would be curious to find out who and what a ‘shark lady’ is. This engaging story paves the way for children to explore the life of Eugenie Clark, a scientist determined to dismiss the view that sharks are ugly and scary. I love picture book biographies because they are a combination of just the right words and mesmerizing illustrations. I also love biographies about women who have refused to conform, and who simply craved opportunities to explore any pathway. When Eugenie felt pressured not to study science, she didn’t listen. Bravo! Everyone’s voice… show more.

I love this book as it highlights the story of the groundbreaking Japanese-American woman scientist who broke barriers and made many discoveries about sharks that kids learn as facts today. Eugenie’s story is one of a child fascinated by ocean wildlife who follows her dreams to become a scientist, deep-sea diver, and discoverer. It’s also the story of a misunderstood wild animal that needs some “rebranding”—and this book does the trick!

“To others, sharks were ugly and scary. But Eugenie knew they were beautiful. As she glided through the cool water, she wished everyone could see sharks through her eyes.” - Shark Lady

I’m one of those ‘others’, regarding sharks as ugly and scary. But when I read Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist, I could see through young Eugenie’s eyes and appreciate her love for the magnificent creatures that deserve our respect. While there are wonderful feminist and STEM aspects to this book, what I love most about this picture-book… show more.

For those who love the ocean as much as I do, Shark Lady is a lovely read-aloud for the little ones with the same fascination for the ocean and its most feared member: the shark. The bold illustrations with plenty of ocean scenes makes it one of my favorites but the story of a young woman who was fearless enough to swim with the sharks and make new discoveries about them is also full of information for the adults doing the reading.

Eugenie Clark didn’t agree with people who thought sharks were ugly and dangerous. She thought they were beautiful creatures, worth studying and protecting. I don’t know if I myself could swim with sharks without feeling a little bit scared, but I do believe that most sharks have no interest in attacking humans, and I also believe that it is important for scientists to study every type of organism, from fungi to spiders to sharks. I also want kids to know that scientists can work underwater, like Eugenie did!   

I’ll admit, ever since I saw Jaws as a kid I’ve been terrified of sharks. I don’t believe I’m alone in this. But this book offers readers a much more reasonable view of these mighty creatures of the sea, thanks to the fearless scientist, Eugenie Clark, who studied them. When others doubted her and told her to be a secretary or a housewife instead of a scientist, Eugenie only dove deeper into her work, becoming one of the smartest students in her field. And when others thought sharks were nothing but mindless killers, Eugenie proved them wrong. The extensive back… show more.