Here are 91 books that The Ultimate Book of Sharks fans have personally recommended if you like
The Ultimate Book of Sharks.
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I’ve been a non-fiction writer my entire career and I love learning new things and then sharing them with readers in an approachable and engaging way, as these books do. These books encourage curiosity and that kind of “Oh! I didn’t know that!” response, which can spark a young reader to dig deeper and even share their new knowledge with others.
This book isn’t so much about a misunderstood creature as an unheard-of creature!
The hairy frogfish is something I’ve never heard of and I’m sure young readers will be completely intrigued by the existence of this creature. The photographs are compelling and the text is very simple, so it is good for almost any reading level.
This book introduces young readers to the spooky and weird-looking hairy frogfish! Complete with awesome photographs, a range map, and more! Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Abdo Kids Jumbo is an imprint of Abdo Kids, a division of ABDO.
I’ve been a non-fiction writer my entire career and I love learning new things and then sharing them with readers in an approachable and engaging way, as these books do. These books encourage curiosity and that kind of “Oh! I didn’t know that!” response, which can spark a young reader to dig deeper and even share their new knowledge with others.
This book covers a broader range of creatures. I find it an outstanding introduction to reptiles, because each chapter discusses a different reptile group—snakes, lizards, turtles and tortoises, crocodiles and alligators, and, lastly, amphibians.
The material is clearly organized and includes a general description of the animal type, their anatomy, their diet, and then, a separate section on reptiles (or snakes etc.) at home that gives the young reader a way to learn more about a specific creature that is safe for them to explore and even keep as a pet.
Explore the fascinating world of reptiles with the Junior Scientists series for kids ages 6 to 9
Big and small. Cute and dangerous. Covered in spikes, scales, and bony plates! Reptiles for Kids is filled with fun facts and amazing photos of slithering snakes and lizards, tough turtles and tortoises, creepy crocodiles and alligators, and some awesome amphibians. These ancient animals come in all sizes, shapes, and colors, from the weird to the wonderful and everything in between.
Learn how a tadpole becomes a frog, what a crocodile likes to eat (and how it catches its prey!), and which gecko…
I’ve been a non-fiction writer my entire career and I love learning new things and then sharing them with readers in an approachable and engaging way, as these books do. These books encourage curiosity and that kind of “Oh! I didn’t know that!” response, which can spark a young reader to dig deeper and even share their new knowledge with others.
I loved Anglerfish because you really feel like you are traveling with this particular creature on her journey to the deepest reaches of the ocean. She starts out this really cute, vulnerable baby and ends up pretty darn ferocious looking (here I should add that I think the illustrations are just outstanding!!)
We see her morph from a regular looking baby fish to one that has ferocious teeth, and more unusually, a lantern sticking out of her forehead! This has GOT to be one of the weirdest creatures on the planet! Plus to see the size difference between the female (big) and the male (teeny tiny) was amazing. I turned back to those pages several times.
Dive thirteen thousand feet below the ocean's surface into the midnight zone, home to the anglerfish - a cunning hunter known as the Seadevil of the Deep.
Deep in the darkest part of the ocean where no ray of sunlight can reach, Anglerfish makes her home. Resources are scarce, and fellow inhabitants scarcer. Still largely a mystery to scientists, the deep-sea anglerfish is a true source of fascination and awe. This mesmerizing picture book shines a light on the fascinating fish, pairing a captivating text with stunning artwork.
I’ve been a non-fiction writer my entire career and I love learning new things and then sharing them with readers in an approachable and engaging way, as these books do. These books encourage curiosity and that kind of “Oh! I didn’t know that!” response, which can spark a young reader to dig deeper and even share their new knowledge with others.
This picture book, part of anendangered and misunderstood animals series, aims for a much younger audience and is adorable!
The illustrations make the reader feel very connected to the aye-aye and the adventures of the aye-aye are fun for a very young reader to follow, especially this story because aye-aye gets in trouble and plays pranks and then learns that it is not fun to be on the receiving end of that kind of behavior, so you get a life lesson and information about an endangered animal, all in one!
At the back of the book are some fun facts about the aye-aye and also “how to draw an aye-aye,” which are perfect for this readership. Young readers will also like that there are several other, similar books in the series.
Aye-Aye doesn't mean to be naughty. He can't help himself. Or can he?
Aye-Aye is an endangered lemur who loves pulling pranks on the villagers of Madagascar. He loves it when they squeal, but mostly he loves it when they huck their yummy meals at him.
Until one day, they decide enough is enough and ban him from the village! Poor Aye-Aye is lonely and hungry and desperate to find a way to win back their hearts and clear his name. But how can he when he doesn't understand where he went wrong?
The two constants in my life to date have been ocean exploration by day and reading epic adventures by night. As a Ph.D. marine scientist, I’ve had the incredible good fortune to travel the world conducting marine science research, work which to date has resulted in forty-two research articles and a textbook. But as much as I’ve enjoyed conducting the research, communicating about the sea has been even more engaging, taking me to the White House, both houses of Congress, and many countries around the world. And perhaps best of all, I’ve been able to couple my love of stories with my own research experience to produce four adventure novels.
Great white sharks, rocky islands shrouded in fog, and a behind-the-scenes look at how science is conducted? I’ll take that any day, and indeed I have.
I first read this book while on a research vessel off the Farallon Islands. If you’ve read any of Casey’s other books, you’re familiar with the compelling level of detail she provides. Whether or not you’ll ever visit the islands yourself, this gripping story will leave you feeling like you have.
Since "Jaws" scared a nation of moviegoers out of the water three decades ago, great white sharks have attained a mythical status as the most frightening and mysterious monsters to still live among us. Each fall, just twenty-seven miles off the San Francisco coast, in the waters surrounding a desolate rocky island chain, the world's largest congregation of these fearsome predators gathers to feed. Journalist Susan Casey first saw the great whites of the Farallones in a television documentary. Within months, she was sitting with the program's two scientists in a small motorboat as the sharks - some as long…
I am a children’s book author who is awed by the ocean and the creatures that dwell in its depths. I love writing for kids because they’re unabashedly eager, enthusiastic, and curious! To write this book, I dove deep into researching information about the ocean. The more I learned, the more I wanted to know. I kept thinking, kids will love these fascinating facts and they’ll want to learn more. The wonderful books on this list tell amazing tales, take kids on adventures, and turn dry facts into a deluge of fun. These nonfiction stories offer kids opportunities to become immersed in our awesome ocean!
I laughed my way through this book about kids’ favorite ocean inhabitants!
In it, a silly shark presents a boatload of facts in a very funny way. Humor helps kids learn and remember! The story starts with a toothy, “Hey there!” from Great White Shark who introduces himself to readers as “the greatest shark in this book.” But another shark begs to differ—a whale shark who’s as big as a school bus.
Great White decides he must be the smallest shark. Nope. The smartest shark. Nope. The sneakiest shark? Wrong again. Off-the-hook hilarious illustrations make even the scariest shark entertaining and endearing.
What makes the great white shark (one of) the greatest fish in the sea? FIN-d out in this hilarious fish-out-of-water story that's perfect for Shark Week and all year-round!
"Don't miss this one." -School Library Journal, Starred Review
Hi! I am Great White Shark, and if you get this book, you'll read all about ME--the greatest shark in the sea!
Not so fast! Greenland Shark here, and as the oldest shark in this book, that makes me the greatest.
Did someone say fast? I'm Mako Shark, and I'm the fastest shark in this book! Eat my bubbles!
I’ve written across genres, including mysteries like The Last Policeman and big works of alternate history like Underground Airlines. But Bedbugs—now republished as The Bonus Room—was one of my first books, and very dear to my heart. I’ve always loved books that pit a single, relatively helpless protagonist against some inexplicable force that he or she cannot begin to fathom. A force that can’t be reasoned with or bargained with. You just have to beat it. Perhaps that’s why I love these books about man vs. beast—the natural world is our friend, and animal are subservient to us…until suddenly, terrifyingly, they’re not.
Jaws is one of those extremely rare cases where the movie is actually better. (Can’t think of another one? Try The Godfather.) It’s a perfectly fun suspense novel, but in the film version Spielberg conjures up by special effects magic (and the magic of Dreyfuss and Scheider’s performances) what Benchley in his novel comes close to but never quite lands: the absolutely terrifying feelings of knowing something is there—and getting closer—and closer—but you can’t actually see.
Peter Benchley's Jaws first appeared in 1974. As well as Steven Spielberg's film adaptation, the novel has sold over twenty million copies around the world, creating a legend that refuses to die.
It's never safe to go back in the water . . .
It was just another day in the life of a small Atlantic resort until the terror from the deep came to prey on unwary holiday makers. The first sign of trouble - a warning of what was to come - took the form of a young woman's body, or what was left of it, washed up…
I've been fascinated by the ocean and all of its inhabitants for as long as I can remember. When I was little, I discovered my dad’s SCUBA license and it blew my mind that I was related to someone who was allowed to explore the underwater world! Later, when I got to college, I took advantage of two exciting opportunities. First, I got my own scuba license. Second, I studied abroad in Belize, where I conducted manatee research by tagging, tracking, and rescuing manatees. I enjoyed the time I spent with the animals, but not the lab work. Now I express my passion for sea creatures in the books I write.
This book introduces some basic facts about sharks in an original, laugh-your-pants-off kind of way. The misunderstood shark derails jellyfish’s live TV broadcast with his questionable behavior. Readers will be left to debate the shark’s actual intentions and to discuss the cool shark facts they learned along the way. The supporting characters in the book also have fantastically funny dialogue. Every inch of this book is fun! And again, kids will be laughing and learning at the same time.
From bestselling author Ame Dyckman and illustrator Scott Magoon comes the laugh-out-loud story about a Misunderstood Shark who just wants to show the world who he really is...
Every beachgoer knows that there's nothing more terrifying than a... SHARRRK! But this shark is just misunderstood, or is he? In a wholly original, sidesplittingly funny story, New York Times bestselling author Ame Dyckman and illustrator Scott Magoon take this perennial theme and turn it on its (hammer)head with a brand-new cheeky character. The filming of an underwater TV show goes awry when the crew gets interrupted by a... SHARRRK! Poor Shark,…
As a mystery writer, I’ve always got my eye out for a great place to hide a body. I can’t help it, it’s a hazard of the job. I also love to travel, and a mix of the two has always been irresistible to me, whether I’m reading or writing. I’d say I’m not the only one who enjoys a little sightseeing with my whodunits, because my first book, Death in the Aegean, was nominated for an Agatha Best First Novel Award by the Malice Domestic community. I hope you enjoy these picks that combine some of my ideal vacation spots with entertaining whodunits.
I’ve never been to New Zealand, and this book makes me feel like I’m there with forensic odontologist Alexa Glock, who identifies bodies via dental records.
She navigates men, murder, and the ocean in this tightly woven murder mystery that’s as much about her personal life as her professional one. I learned quite a bit about sharks and whales, and bonus, this mystery includes quicksand!
A new title in the Alexa Glock Forensics Mysteries. When bodies wash up on the beach, is man or animal the culprit? It'll take everything forensic specialist Alexa Glock has to seek out the truth. Because lips may lie, but teeth never do... These thrilling New Zealand mysteries are:Perfect for Fans of Kathy Reichs and Candice FoxFor readers of forensic mysteries and international mysteriesFor lovers of police procedurals and marine scienceAt first, Alexa Glock's initial case as a traveling forensic investigator seems straightforward-her expertise in teeth helps her identify the skeletal remains of a hunter found on the remote Stewart…
Whatever story I’m telling, I try to write female characters who are smart, funny, kind, and ultimately empowering; characters that drive the narrative, not the other way around. It is really important for me that my female characters have agency – that they actively move the story forward, make decisions and step up. Those are the kind of stories I like to read too. The books on this list are some of my favourites and all contain strong female protagonists. I hope you enjoy.
I have always been fascinated by sharks, so to read the story of Blue Wing, who lives among them, was an absolute joy. Set on an island near Papua New Guinea, this is a heartbreaking story, beautifully and originally told, that explores grief, friendship, forgiveness, and our relationship with nature. I’ve traveled and swam with sharks near where this book is set and it was so special to revisit those places in the book. But it’s Blue Wing’s selflessness, wisdom, and bravery that make this book utterly unforgettable.
WINNER OF THE EDWARD STANFORD CHILDREN'S TRAVEL BOOK OF THE YEAR 2022
A SUNDAY TIMES CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK
Dive beneath the waves with this spell-binding adventure of friendship, forgiveness and bravery, set on the shores of Papua New Guinea, perfect for fans of Katherine Rundell and Eva Ibbotson.
"I want to be able to call the sharks. Teach me the magic and show me the ways."
Blue Wing is desperate to become a shark caller, but instead she must befriend infuriating newcomer Maple, who arrives unexpectedly on Blue Wing's island.
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