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Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California's Farallon Islands
Up close with the ocean's most fearsome and famous predator and the scientists who study them—just thirty miles from San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge!
A few miles from San Francisco lives a population of the ocean's largest and most famous predators. Each fall, while the city's inhabitants dine on steaks, salads, and sandwiches, the great white sharks return to California's Farallon Islands to hunt their favorite meal: the seals that live on the island's rocky coasts. Massive, fast, and perfectly adapted to hunting after 11 million years of evolution, the great whites are among the planet's most fearsome, fascinating, and least understood animals.
In the fall of 2012, Katherine Roy visited the Farallons with the scientists who study the islands' shark population. She witnessed seal attacks, observed sharks being tagged in the wild, and got an up close look at the dramatic Farallons—a wildlife refuge that is strictly off-limits to all but the scientsts who work there. Neighborhood Sharks is an intimate portrait of the life cycle, biology, and habitat of the great white shark, based on the latest research and an up-close visit with these amazing animals.
A few miles from San Francisco lives a population of the ocean's largest and most famous predators. Each fall, while the city's inhabitants dine on steaks, salads, and sandwiches, the great white sharks return to California's Farallon Islands to hunt their favorite meal: the seals that live on the island's rocky coasts. Massive, fast, and perfectly adapted to hunting after 11 million years of evolution, the great whites are among the planet's most fearsome, fascinating, and least understood animals.
In the fall of 2012, Katherine Roy visited the Farallons with the scientists who study the islands' shark population. She witnessed seal attacks, observed sharks being tagged in the wild, and got an up close look at the dramatic Farallons—a wildlife refuge that is strictly off-limits to all but the scientsts who work there. Neighborhood Sharks is an intimate portrait of the life cycle, biology, and habitat of the great white shark, based on the latest research and an up-close visit with these amazing animals.
48 pages, Hardcover
First published September 30, 2014
8 people are currently reading
1010 people want to read
About the author
Katherine Roy
19 books125 followersKatherine Roy is the award-winning and best-selling author and illustrator of many science-based books for kids, including her Robert F. Sibert Honor Book Neighborhood Sharks: Hunting with the Great Whites of California's Farallon Islands, How to Be an Elephant: Growing Up in the African Wild, and Making More: How Life Begins. She is also the illustrator of numerous other books, including Barb Rosenstock's Otis and Will Discover the Deep, Richard Ho's Red Rover, Kirsten W. Larson's The Fire of Stars, and the forthcoming Sea Without a Shore by Barb Rosenstock. She lives with her husband and sons in western Oregon, where she's busy writing and drawing her next books. Learn more at http://katherineroy.com.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 323 reviews
July 22, 2018
Here's a fascinating look at sharks - inside and out - as they patrol the waters off the Farallon Islands near San Francisco looking for one of their favorite delicacies - young elephant seals.
The informative text is highlighted by gorgeous watercolor illustrations by the author.
Highly recommended, though seal-fanciers may find the book somewhat distressing.
GULP!
The informative text is highlighted by gorgeous watercolor illustrations by the author.
Highly recommended, though seal-fanciers may find the book somewhat distressing.
GULP!
November 20, 2014
When you’re a librarian buying for your system, you come to understand that certain nonfiction topics are perennial favorites. You accept that no matter how many copies you buy, you will never have enough train or joke or magic books. And the king daddy topic to beat them all, the one that leaves a continual gaping hole in the Dewey Decimal area of 597.3 or so, is sharks. Kids can’t get enough of them. Heck, adults can’t get enough of them. Between Shark Week and movies like Sharknado, sharks haven’t been this pop culturally relevant since the good old days of JAWS. And sure, we’ve plenty of truly decent shark books on our shelves already. What we don’t really have are books that combine the blood and the facts with the beauty of full-color, wholly accurate paintings. We’ve never truly had a shark book that’s as accomplished and stunning as Katherine Roy’s Neighborhood Sharks. It’s crazy to contemplate that though shark books are never unpopular, only now did someone take the time and effort to give them a publication worthy of their terror and wonder.
A single great white shark cuts through the waters surrounding San Francisco’s Farallon Islands “just 30 miles from the city”. Prey comes in the form of a fine fat seal and before the mammal realizes what’s happening the shark attacks. What makes a shark the perfect killer? Consider its weapons. Note the body, covered in “skin teeth”, capable of acting like a warm-blooded fish. Observe its high-definition vision and five rows of teeth. Did you know that a shark’s jaws aren’t fused to the skull, so that they can actually be projected forward to bite something? Or the method by which you would go about actually tagging this kind of creature? With candor and cleverness, author/artist Katherine Roy brings these silent killers to breathtaking life. You may never desire to set foot into the ocean again.
It’s hard to imagine a book on sharks that has art that can compete with all those shark books laden with cool photographic images. Roy’s advantage here then is the freedom that comes with the art of illustration. She’s not beholden to a single real shark making a real kill. With her brush she can set up a typical situation in which a great white shark attacks a northern elephant seal. The looming threat of the inevitable attack and the almost Hitchcockian way she sets up her shots (so to speak) give the book a tension wholly missing from photo-based shark books. What’s more, it makes the book easy to booktalk (booktalk: a technique used by librarians to intrigue potential readers about titles – not dissimilar to movie trailers, only with books). There’s not a librarian alive who wouldn’t get a kick out of revealing that wordless two-page seal attack scene in all its horror and glory.
The remarkable thing? Even as she’s showing an eviscerated seal, Roy keeps the imagery fairly kid friendly. Plumes of red blood are far more esoteric and even (dare I say it) lovely than a creature bleeding out on land. You never see the shark’s teeth pierce the seal, since Roy obscures the most gory details in action and waves. There are even callbacks. Late in the book we see a shark attacking a faux seal, lured there by researchers that want to study the shark. Without having seen the previous attack this subsequent wordless image would lose much of its punch. And lest we forget, these images are downright lovely. Roy’s paintbrush contrasts the grey sea and grey shark with a whirling swirling red. You could lose yourself in these pictures.
Yet while Roy is capable of true beauty in her art, it’s the original ways in which she’s capable of conveying scientific information about sharks that truly won my heart. She’s the queen of the clever diagram. Early in the book we see an image of a shark’s torpedo-shaped body. Yet the image equates the shark with an airplane, overlaying its fins and tail with the wings and tail of a typical jet plane. Seeing this and the arrows that indicate airflow / how water flows, the picture does more to convey an idea than a thousand words ever could. I found myself poring over diagrams of how a shark can let in cold water and convert it in an internal heat exchange into something that can warm its blood. It’s magnificent. The close-up shot of how a shark’s five rows of teeth tilt and the shot that will haunt my dreams until I die of projectile jaws will easily satiate any bloodthirsty young shark lover hoping for a few new facts.
The projectile jaws, actually, are an excellent example of the tons of information Roy includes here that feels original and beautifully written. Roy is consistently child-friendly in this book, never drowning her text in jargon that would float over a kiddo’s head. Using the framing sequence of a shark attacking a seal, she’s able to work in facts about the creatures and their environment in such a way as to feel natural to the book. Neighborhood Sharks is one of the first books in the David Macaulay Studio imprint and like Mr. Macaulay, Ms. Roy is capable of artistic prowess and great grand factual writing all at once. The backmatter consisting of additional information, a word or two on why she decided not to do a spread on smell, Selected Sources, Further Reading, and a map of The Farallons is worth the price of admission alone.
The book is called "Neighborhood Sharks” for a reason. When we think of big predators we think of remote locations. We don’t think of them swimming along, so very close to places like the Golden Gate Bridge. Plenty of adults would be horrified by the notion that they might run into an unexpected shark somewhere. Kids, however, might see the prospect as exciting. Neighborhood Sharks has the potential to both satisfy those kids that have already read every single book on sharks in their local library and also convert those that haven’t already made sharks their favorite predator of all time. Remarkably beautiful even (or especially) in the face of straightforward shark attacks, this is a book that sets itself apart from the pack. If you read only one children’s shark book in all your livelong days, read this one. Disgusting. Delicious. Delightful.
For ages 7-12.
A single great white shark cuts through the waters surrounding San Francisco’s Farallon Islands “just 30 miles from the city”. Prey comes in the form of a fine fat seal and before the mammal realizes what’s happening the shark attacks. What makes a shark the perfect killer? Consider its weapons. Note the body, covered in “skin teeth”, capable of acting like a warm-blooded fish. Observe its high-definition vision and five rows of teeth. Did you know that a shark’s jaws aren’t fused to the skull, so that they can actually be projected forward to bite something? Or the method by which you would go about actually tagging this kind of creature? With candor and cleverness, author/artist Katherine Roy brings these silent killers to breathtaking life. You may never desire to set foot into the ocean again.
It’s hard to imagine a book on sharks that has art that can compete with all those shark books laden with cool photographic images. Roy’s advantage here then is the freedom that comes with the art of illustration. She’s not beholden to a single real shark making a real kill. With her brush she can set up a typical situation in which a great white shark attacks a northern elephant seal. The looming threat of the inevitable attack and the almost Hitchcockian way she sets up her shots (so to speak) give the book a tension wholly missing from photo-based shark books. What’s more, it makes the book easy to booktalk (booktalk: a technique used by librarians to intrigue potential readers about titles – not dissimilar to movie trailers, only with books). There’s not a librarian alive who wouldn’t get a kick out of revealing that wordless two-page seal attack scene in all its horror and glory.
The remarkable thing? Even as she’s showing an eviscerated seal, Roy keeps the imagery fairly kid friendly. Plumes of red blood are far more esoteric and even (dare I say it) lovely than a creature bleeding out on land. You never see the shark’s teeth pierce the seal, since Roy obscures the most gory details in action and waves. There are even callbacks. Late in the book we see a shark attacking a faux seal, lured there by researchers that want to study the shark. Without having seen the previous attack this subsequent wordless image would lose much of its punch. And lest we forget, these images are downright lovely. Roy’s paintbrush contrasts the grey sea and grey shark with a whirling swirling red. You could lose yourself in these pictures.
Yet while Roy is capable of true beauty in her art, it’s the original ways in which she’s capable of conveying scientific information about sharks that truly won my heart. She’s the queen of the clever diagram. Early in the book we see an image of a shark’s torpedo-shaped body. Yet the image equates the shark with an airplane, overlaying its fins and tail with the wings and tail of a typical jet plane. Seeing this and the arrows that indicate airflow / how water flows, the picture does more to convey an idea than a thousand words ever could. I found myself poring over diagrams of how a shark can let in cold water and convert it in an internal heat exchange into something that can warm its blood. It’s magnificent. The close-up shot of how a shark’s five rows of teeth tilt and the shot that will haunt my dreams until I die of projectile jaws will easily satiate any bloodthirsty young shark lover hoping for a few new facts.
The projectile jaws, actually, are an excellent example of the tons of information Roy includes here that feels original and beautifully written. Roy is consistently child-friendly in this book, never drowning her text in jargon that would float over a kiddo’s head. Using the framing sequence of a shark attacking a seal, she’s able to work in facts about the creatures and their environment in such a way as to feel natural to the book. Neighborhood Sharks is one of the first books in the David Macaulay Studio imprint and like Mr. Macaulay, Ms. Roy is capable of artistic prowess and great grand factual writing all at once. The backmatter consisting of additional information, a word or two on why she decided not to do a spread on smell, Selected Sources, Further Reading, and a map of The Farallons is worth the price of admission alone.
The book is called "Neighborhood Sharks” for a reason. When we think of big predators we think of remote locations. We don’t think of them swimming along, so very close to places like the Golden Gate Bridge. Plenty of adults would be horrified by the notion that they might run into an unexpected shark somewhere. Kids, however, might see the prospect as exciting. Neighborhood Sharks has the potential to both satisfy those kids that have already read every single book on sharks in their local library and also convert those that haven’t already made sharks their favorite predator of all time. Remarkably beautiful even (or especially) in the face of straightforward shark attacks, this is a book that sets itself apart from the pack. If you read only one children’s shark book in all your livelong days, read this one. Disgusting. Delicious. Delightful.
For ages 7-12.
Read
July 1, 2015This book is gorgeous! And sharks are fantastic.
(Just FYI, sharks: you are not really welcome in my neighborhood, despite this positive book review. Just so you know.)
(Just FYI, sharks: you are not really welcome in my neighborhood, despite this positive book review. Just so you know.)
November 4, 2014
The story of the great white sharks who come to feed at the Farallon Islands near San Francisco and the scientists who study them is told in a fascinating, informative narrative and in spectacular, dramatic illustrations. An exceptional work of nonfiction.
July 29, 2015
Meticulously researched. Kids will go crazy for the paintings and stay for the facts! If you have children or students who love sharks, this is a must have!
Read
June 26, 2015 Twin Text
Nugget and Fang: friends forever – or snack time?
By Tammi Sauer
Published 2012
Rationale for Twin Texts Selection
The children are doing a unit on sharks, so I am using these books to teach them about sharks. The Neighborhood Sharks book is full of great information and it has great illustrations and diagrams to get the information across. The Nugget and Fang book is more for fun. Fang is not your typical shark but since the students learned about real sharks they will be able to compare Fang to a real shark. The comparison will reinforce the students learning and catch students’ interest with a fun story of a shark and fish being friends.
Identify the Text Structure in the Book
The book is divided into sections. Most sections start with a title explaining what shark facts will be discussed in that part. Other sections start with a question and then the question in answered. This story has great pictures and diagrams explaining what the text is about. The end of the book contains an author note, selected resources, acknowledgments, and other sources. She also includes a little note on sharks’ sense of smell to inform the reader about it and why she left it out of the book.
Strategy and Application
We are learning about sharks. So I decided to use a K-N-L chart. This is a good tool to use because when we are done, the children will have a visual of all the things they learned about sharks. We will start out having children write down what they already know about sharks and fill out that part of the chart. This will prepare the children to maximize their learning by activating their background knowledge. Next the students will fill out what they want to know. Then we will read the text having the students make notes of everything they are learning. They will have the chart to function as a graphic organizer. After learning about sharks, they will be able to compare the characteristics of a real shark to the fictional Fang. They will compare the two with a Venn diagram.
Nugget and Fang: friends forever – or snack time?
By Tammi Sauer
Published 2012
Rationale for Twin Texts Selection
The children are doing a unit on sharks, so I am using these books to teach them about sharks. The Neighborhood Sharks book is full of great information and it has great illustrations and diagrams to get the information across. The Nugget and Fang book is more for fun. Fang is not your typical shark but since the students learned about real sharks they will be able to compare Fang to a real shark. The comparison will reinforce the students learning and catch students’ interest with a fun story of a shark and fish being friends.
Identify the Text Structure in the Book
The book is divided into sections. Most sections start with a title explaining what shark facts will be discussed in that part. Other sections start with a question and then the question in answered. This story has great pictures and diagrams explaining what the text is about. The end of the book contains an author note, selected resources, acknowledgments, and other sources. She also includes a little note on sharks’ sense of smell to inform the reader about it and why she left it out of the book.
Strategy and Application
We are learning about sharks. So I decided to use a K-N-L chart. This is a good tool to use because when we are done, the children will have a visual of all the things they learned about sharks. We will start out having children write down what they already know about sharks and fill out that part of the chart. This will prepare the children to maximize their learning by activating their background knowledge. Next the students will fill out what they want to know. Then we will read the text having the students make notes of everything they are learning. They will have the chart to function as a graphic organizer. After learning about sharks, they will be able to compare the characteristics of a real shark to the fictional Fang. They will compare the two with a Venn diagram.
April 7, 2015
I feel like Neighborhood Sharks is everything that good non-fiction should be - engaging, well-researched, informative, challenging, and dramatic. The book begins almost like a picture book as the reader follows a swimming seal with the shadow of a shark lurking in the background. The drama builds as the shark grows larger, until, all at once, it strikes, catching the seal in its powerful jaws and clouding the water red with blood. What a set up, what a hook to lure readers in and get them interested in the science behind the attack! Roy goes into great detail about why the white sharks return to the Farallon Islands, why the seals are the perfect hot lunch, how the white shark's anatomy - its torpedo-shaped body, its circulatory system, its high-definition vision, its endless teeth and projectile jaws - all combine to make it the perfect predator. The book ends in much the same way as it began, with a white shark eying a seal in the distance. However, this time the seal is a dummy used by scientists to coax the shark in closer so that they can study its behavior, tag its dorsal fin and further their research of these amazing creatures. Roy concludes her book with a look at some of the information scientists have gathered about white sharks and their migratory patterns that have them returning to the Farallons year after year. A note from the author shares more about her journey in researching the book, including selected sources - films, books, and online resources - that she consulted. Outstanding and deserving of every honor and award it has received.
Read
April 9, 2019 I decided to read a book about sharks, because I love sharks, and I find them such amazing and super cool animals. Sharks are intelligent and can sense a lot of smells and movements. Sharks are their own creature, and they are a wonder within the other ocean life.
I enjoy reading texts because you gain a lot of knowledge from reading these types of texts, and you gain it in a different way than reading a chapter book, or a textbook. There were many different text features placed throughout the book and they are important to have when reading a historical fiction text.
Historical fiction is a type of genre in which the story line is based around an era or time frame but there is fiction included into the story. There are historical elements incorporated into this genre.
I learned a lot about Great White Sharks, the California Islands. I learned about when the sharks return to San Francisco every year around September. I really did enjoy reading this book! I really do think that this book motivated me and intrigued me to learn more about Great White Sharks because I love sharks. I ended up doing some more research and found some more great books about sharks to read. Any other book about sharks and the California area would pair nicely with this text.
I am really glad that I was able to read this book, it definitely intrigued me and made me want to learn more about sharks!
I enjoy reading texts because you gain a lot of knowledge from reading these types of texts, and you gain it in a different way than reading a chapter book, or a textbook. There were many different text features placed throughout the book and they are important to have when reading a historical fiction text.
Historical fiction is a type of genre in which the story line is based around an era or time frame but there is fiction included into the story. There are historical elements incorporated into this genre.
I learned a lot about Great White Sharks, the California Islands. I learned about when the sharks return to San Francisco every year around September. I really did enjoy reading this book! I really do think that this book motivated me and intrigued me to learn more about Great White Sharks because I love sharks. I ended up doing some more research and found some more great books about sharks to read. Any other book about sharks and the California area would pair nicely with this text.
I am really glad that I was able to read this book, it definitely intrigued me and made me want to learn more about sharks!
July 14, 2021
This is an excellent, excellent nonfiction book for grades 2-4 probably. It looks like a picture book (and the illustrations are great) but it's quite text-heavy and there are diagrams and things. Perfect for a classroom setting.
picture-books
December 19, 2017These illustrations are GORGEOUS, but not for the faint of heart or squeamish.
April 23, 2019
I loved the illustrations in this book, but the text in the middle of this book was a bit overwhelming for my young kids.
April 22, 2015
This fascinating book is one of the Sibert HONOR books which shows what an amazing year it was for nonfiction! This book shouldn't need any booktalking: just let kids see the cover and maybe one page inside where the shark captures the seal. This book is decidedly not for the faint of heart who want to pretend nature is all sweet and lovely. This book gets right to the point: exactly how does a shark manage to be a top predator. Especially the Great Whites around Farallon Islands just a little ways from San Francisco. (I definitely don't think I'll go swimming in the bay the next time I'm in San Francisco!) Since these hunters spend at most of the year off of San Francisco, I figure they are Californians and could be used for CA reports, as well as shark reports. The author goes over the various senses and other assets such as warmer blood than your typical sea denizen, then focuses on the actual bite in five steps. The book then tears itself from the specific meal to go over the shark's migratory route, which seems to be different for males and females. It mentions that they are endangered but the focus is on the sharks of today rather than their future. In most other years, I think this would have been a clear winner, but the nonfiction this year was just so superb it didn't have a chance.
I am not alone in my admiration: the Sanford Children's Rm at the Main Library is using this for a bookclub title for June.
I am not alone in my admiration: the Sanford Children's Rm at the Main Library is using this for a bookclub title for June.
February 16, 2015
This is one of my new favorite nonfiction books. It is all about great white sharks and how they live and survive in California’s Farallon Islands (think San Fransisco). The thing is, this book has beautiful illustrations. Which I don’t often think of when I think of nonfiction books–which I tend to like photographs in seeing how they are books about “true” things. But not everything to know about great white sharks can be adequately explained through pictures. Sometimes you need a super-awesome illustration of how a great white shark’s body is perfectly aerodynamic just like an airplane. In fact, you need an illustration of a shark airplane to get that point across. And thankfully this book happens to have illustrations of a shark airplane (and many other amazing illustrations that I never knew I needed when reading a book about great white sharks). There are also great bits that explain all about how a shark’s body works or what the perfect meal for a shark would be. And then there are the money shot-type of illustrations that show just why so many people continually are impressed (and tend to watch on shark week) these amazing animals. The text is great. But the illustrations are what will keep bringing young readers and scientists back for more. Well done.
November 1, 2014
In visually stunning illustrations and engaging text the author/illustrator provides an up close perspective on great white sharks. Because she spent time observing them in their fall feeding grounds 30 miles from San Francisco, she is able to create action-filled illustrations and detailed diagrams, all designed to give readers more appreciation for these powerful creatures. The book also allows readers to see what makes the great white shark such an efficient killing machine: its body, its blood vessel system, high-definition vision, rows of teeth, and projectile jaws that enable it to consume a 400-pound seal in fewer than ten bites. Not only do readers have the chance to get almost too close for comfort to those extraordinary creatures, but the book also describes their journey as they head to mating grounds and feeding grounds in the Pacific. After reading this book, I have a renewed respect for sharks and their essential place in the ecosystem. Guaranteed to captivate readers whether they are fans of sharks or not, this book is not to be missed.
June 6, 2015
Great White sharks have to be the scariest creatures on the earth. Interesting that these congregate near San Francisco every year, and many people do not even know they are there. About 30 miles from the Golden Gate bridge, around the Farallon Islands.
Neighborhood Sharks tells about the behavior of the Great Whites, and their anatomy, in enough detail that now I feel I know something about them. It is unfair to label them as killing machines, as per Jaws. They are dangerous, of course, but not because of being mean. Every ecosystem has an apex predator, Great Whites fill this niche in their environment, and their behavior follows. Same as for any other predator, apex or not.
This is a very well written and interesting book. Definitely worth reading.
Neighborhood Sharks tells about the behavior of the Great Whites, and their anatomy, in enough detail that now I feel I know something about them. It is unfair to label them as killing machines, as per Jaws. They are dangerous, of course, but not because of being mean. Every ecosystem has an apex predator, Great Whites fill this niche in their environment, and their behavior follows. Same as for any other predator, apex or not.
This is a very well written and interesting book. Definitely worth reading.
December 1, 2014
Absolutely terrific in so many ways. Full review to come.
Did you know the world’s largest wild population of great white sharks lives just 30 miles from San Francisco? This terrific picture book combines compelling paintings with informative text to explain how these predators are able to hunt down their perfect prey so effectively. Roy focuses on the shark’s streamlined body, warmed blood, excellent vision, endless teeth and projectile jaws--providing clear scientific information while hooking readers with dramatic, vibrant paintings to give the feeling that you are there swimming with the sharks.
Did you know the world’s largest wild population of great white sharks lives just 30 miles from San Francisco? This terrific picture book combines compelling paintings with informative text to explain how these predators are able to hunt down their perfect prey so effectively. Roy focuses on the shark’s streamlined body, warmed blood, excellent vision, endless teeth and projectile jaws--providing clear scientific information while hooking readers with dramatic, vibrant paintings to give the feeling that you are there swimming with the sharks.
January 4, 2015
I love to open books and be surprised, and this one really surprised me. I thought it was a basic picture book that told about Great White Sharks, but it is that, and more. Roy uses such beautiful images, sometimes violent images, that show what a white shark does, hunt for food. And that food is primarily, in this book, pinnipeds. These are seals and sea lions and means “fin-footed”. So she begins with artistic paintings shwing the real hunt and the kill, but in between are numerous pages that discuss unique charactistics of sharks. There is a good page of back matter too. It’s a great book.
June 14, 2015
This story is about the great white shark. It tells a story about how the neighborhood sharks' life is like at Farallon Islands. The book showed talked about how the sharks hunt for its foods. It's a very interesting book. I knew something about sharks but this book really opened my eyes about sea creature lives. The illustrations are fabulous! The illustrations are real and it made me stopped at several pages to look at all the details of the illustrations. I think this book is suitable for 2nd to 5th grade students. Students can learn about a lot of facts about sharks and their life at the sea.
July 26, 2015
Very nice! Being an ocean mad child, I would have loved this book. Great artwork and easily understood illustrations and written material gives a great overview of what (unfortunately not enough) we know about Great Whites. The Farallons aren't too far from me and I've always been intrigued by the sharks and the scientists studying them.
I have to admit however that I'm not going to share this with my little nieces until they're older. I'm afraid we'd come down on the side of Team Elephant Seal. (Ano Nuevo all the way!) Maybe later on they'll be a bit more blaise?
I have to admit however that I'm not going to share this with my little nieces until they're older. I'm afraid we'd come down on the side of Team Elephant Seal. (Ano Nuevo all the way!) Maybe later on they'll be a bit more blaise?
October 4, 2015
I have visions of children roaring "o-o-h" and "a-h-h" when they see the pages of the shark striking its prey!
This is the perfect book for a child who is infatuated with sharks and the ocean. The illustrations are intense and colorful. It is clear that the author has done extensive research; this book is packed with details and diagrams, including the shark's anatomy. An exciting book for ages 7 and up, but it may not be for the faint of heart. This book is a Robert F. Sibert Honor Book.
This is the perfect book for a child who is infatuated with sharks and the ocean. The illustrations are intense and colorful. It is clear that the author has done extensive research; this book is packed with details and diagrams, including the shark's anatomy. An exciting book for ages 7 and up, but it may not be for the faint of heart. This book is a Robert F. Sibert Honor Book.
July 6, 2015
This book was an indulgent post-graduation gift to myself. The employees at the independent bookstore squealed jealously when I went through the checkout line. It's a serious delight and a real appetizer to Shark Week in a mere few months. Ms. Roy is to be commended for merging science, biology, and artistry in this wonderfully informative book.
June 27, 2015
Grades 2-5. Good nonfiction read-aloud about the great white shark migration. Great ecological connections to food web and nutritional energy cycle. Shows how shark bodies are adapted for hunting. Pair with Reynolds Carnivores.
February 6, 2016
kinda strange book, the first half dozen pages are an illustrated children's story about sharks, then goes into the science of how sharks make such good killers done in typewriter sized font.
June 9, 2015
This book displays a great way to learn about sharks, the ecosystem and food chains. Definitely not the generic fact fill non-fiction book.
October 25, 2015
Not sure why it took me so long to get to this book. It will be a definite mentor text in my coaching!! Wonderful combination of narrative text along with many informational text pages
September 10, 2016
Reading this book was like watching the Discovery Channel during shark week. There was so much information full with descriptive details and informative illustrations to match.
August 8, 2017
This nonfiction picture book provides lots of information about sharks. I thought I knew a lot about sharks, but there was some neat, new stuff for me in here!
November 7, 2017
Informational Text - an engaging book about sharks and their feeding habits. The illustrations made the text come to life.
April 23, 2023
One of the coolest children’s books I’ve ever read and the art is incredible
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April 24, 2017Title: Neighborhood Sharks
Author: Katherine Roy
Illustrator: Katherine Roy
Genre: Robert F. Sibert Award
Theme(s): Sharks, Ocean, Hunting
Opening line/sentence: Every September, the Great White Sharks return to San Francisco.
Brief Book Summary: This book highlights the wonders and terrors of the great white sharks hunting ground on the island right outside of the city San Francisco. We learn things about how they move in the water to hunt their pray and when they hunt their pray. The book is filled with fascinated facts about sharks that will leave kids in awe. Plus the illustrations make this book hard to resist.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Kathleen McBroom
This engaging narrative describes the annual white shark migration to San Francisco s Farallon Islands, where these skilled predators come to gorge on the abundant seal and sea lion population. Detailed descriptions and watercolor illustrations graphically portray the physical and geographic elements that come into alignment to support this top-down food-chain cycle. The author effectively mixes extensive research and field experience to explain how sharks hunt their prey, while scientists follow the sharks, seeking opportunities to take blood and tissue samples and to implant electronic-tracking tags. Scientific facts and concepts mesh smoothly with sequential action scenes, making the content accessible and logical. It is difficult to talk about sharks and their feeding habits without a bit of gore, and the illustrations, though not overly sensational, do not disappoint. Numerous shark-themed informational books have been published in recent years, but this unique treatment deserves a spot on those crowded shelves. Researchers, browsers, and teachers will welcome this authoritative work on interdependent ecosystems, arecurring theme in national science standards. Grades 3-5
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz
A brief text sets the stage for the return of the great white sharks to San Francisco every September. Thirty miles away on the Farallon Islands is a sanctuary for seals and sea lions, meals for the sharks. Along with the words and the striking single and double-page paintings of the sharks and their prey however, Roy has interspersed lengthy, detailed information on related subjects such as an analysis of the perfect body of the white sharks, their warm blood, their vision, their endless teeth, and projectile jaws. Scientists tag sharks with transmitters as the sharks are attacking dummy seals. After years of research, we now understand the sharks place in the food chain and their migration patterns. There are two books in one here, the story and the wealth of additional factual information. The illustrations for the story are naturalistic and in the case of two wordless double-page spreads, knockouts. Detailed drawings help reinforce the facts. Additional information on tagging, the Farallon Islands, and the sharks is included, along with a map and additional resources. Do not miss the end pages. 2014, David Macaulay Studio/Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan,, $17.99. Ages 6 to 9.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: As mentioned, the fact that maps are included in the book really helps the reader grasp the setting. The illustrations are breath taking and “watercolor illustrations graphically portray the physical and geographic elements that come into alignment to support this top-down food-chain cycle” (McBroom). The reviews acknowledge how Roy took a lot of time and effort to complete this book. Not only did the illustrations take time but so did the research. After a few years of studying the sharks she finally put the information into a children’s book. I give her a lot of credit just like these reviewers did.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: Kids can take away scientific research from this book. They can learn facts about sharks and the food chain as well as how to conduct an experiment. Kids can also take away how a nonfiction book is written versus a fiction book. Usually nonfiction books are underrepresented in children’s classrooms and this book could add to the nonfiction pile.
Consideration of Instructional Application: After reading this book to my class, I would do a lesson on scientific experiments. This whole book is based on facts that were taken from experiments done on sharks. I would ask the class what topics interest them and then try to make a classroom experiment for them to conduct. Once finished, we could put our results and findings into our own classroom picture book for other classes to read.
Author: Katherine Roy
Illustrator: Katherine Roy
Genre: Robert F. Sibert Award
Theme(s): Sharks, Ocean, Hunting
Opening line/sentence: Every September, the Great White Sharks return to San Francisco.
Brief Book Summary: This book highlights the wonders and terrors of the great white sharks hunting ground on the island right outside of the city San Francisco. We learn things about how they move in the water to hunt their pray and when they hunt their pray. The book is filled with fascinated facts about sharks that will leave kids in awe. Plus the illustrations make this book hard to resist.
Professional Recommendation/Review #1:
Kathleen McBroom
This engaging narrative describes the annual white shark migration to San Francisco s Farallon Islands, where these skilled predators come to gorge on the abundant seal and sea lion population. Detailed descriptions and watercolor illustrations graphically portray the physical and geographic elements that come into alignment to support this top-down food-chain cycle. The author effectively mixes extensive research and field experience to explain how sharks hunt their prey, while scientists follow the sharks, seeking opportunities to take blood and tissue samples and to implant electronic-tracking tags. Scientific facts and concepts mesh smoothly with sequential action scenes, making the content accessible and logical. It is difficult to talk about sharks and their feeding habits without a bit of gore, and the illustrations, though not overly sensational, do not disappoint. Numerous shark-themed informational books have been published in recent years, but this unique treatment deserves a spot on those crowded shelves. Researchers, browsers, and teachers will welcome this authoritative work on interdependent ecosystems, arecurring theme in national science standards. Grades 3-5
Professional Recommendation/Review #2:
Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz
A brief text sets the stage for the return of the great white sharks to San Francisco every September. Thirty miles away on the Farallon Islands is a sanctuary for seals and sea lions, meals for the sharks. Along with the words and the striking single and double-page paintings of the sharks and their prey however, Roy has interspersed lengthy, detailed information on related subjects such as an analysis of the perfect body of the white sharks, their warm blood, their vision, their endless teeth, and projectile jaws. Scientists tag sharks with transmitters as the sharks are attacking dummy seals. After years of research, we now understand the sharks place in the food chain and their migration patterns. There are two books in one here, the story and the wealth of additional factual information. The illustrations for the story are naturalistic and in the case of two wordless double-page spreads, knockouts. Detailed drawings help reinforce the facts. Additional information on tagging, the Farallon Islands, and the sharks is included, along with a map and additional resources. Do not miss the end pages. 2014, David Macaulay Studio/Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan,, $17.99. Ages 6 to 9.
Response to Two Professional Reviews: As mentioned, the fact that maps are included in the book really helps the reader grasp the setting. The illustrations are breath taking and “watercolor illustrations graphically portray the physical and geographic elements that come into alignment to support this top-down food-chain cycle” (McBroom). The reviews acknowledge how Roy took a lot of time and effort to complete this book. Not only did the illustrations take time but so did the research. After a few years of studying the sharks she finally put the information into a children’s book. I give her a lot of credit just like these reviewers did.
Evaluation of Literary Elements: Kids can take away scientific research from this book. They can learn facts about sharks and the food chain as well as how to conduct an experiment. Kids can also take away how a nonfiction book is written versus a fiction book. Usually nonfiction books are underrepresented in children’s classrooms and this book could add to the nonfiction pile.
Consideration of Instructional Application: After reading this book to my class, I would do a lesson on scientific experiments. This whole book is based on facts that were taken from experiments done on sharks. I would ask the class what topics interest them and then try to make a classroom experiment for them to conduct. Once finished, we could put our results and findings into our own classroom picture book for other classes to read.
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