Sharks: Predators of the Sea

by Anna Claybourne

Sharks: Predators of the Sea reveals the true nature of these remarkable prehistoric creatures. As an apex predator in their watery world, they are critical to the health of the world's oceans but also largely misunderstood. This book is the perfect choice to engage readers and shed light on this important marine animal.

The book is packed with 200 full color photographs plus sidebars, fact files, and illustrations. Chapters of accessible text describe the natural history of 17 of the world's 450 species of sharks along with some shark relatives. Special features on shark biology describe the physical characteristics that make them so remarkable.

Sharks: Predators of the Sea covers these 17 shark species: Great White, Great Hammerhead, Bull, Mako, Blue, Thresher, Tiger, Lemon Shark, Goblin, Wobbegong, Dwarf Lanternshark, Cookie-cutter, Greenland, Whale, Megamouth, Frilled, and Reef, plus a few shark relatives, the Manta Ray, Stingray, Electric Ray, and Sawfish.

Genres: Nonfiction, Childrens

80 pages, Hardcover

Published August 21, 2016

About the author

Freelance children’s writer and editor, based in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Anna Claybourne writes children's information books on all kinds of topics: science experiments, ancient history, the human body, things to make, the environment, robots, evolution, art, fashion, Shakespeare and many more - as well as retellings of myths, legends and Shakespeare plays, and rhyming stories.

She studied English literature at university, but has always been interested in science, technology and art and design as well. She loves making and crafting, especially sewing, and her house is full of fabrics, craft materials, tools and books. Other interests and passions include camping, cats, outdoor swimming, news and politics, and music - she plays the trombone and has played in many different bands and orchestras, including performing live on a John Peel session in 2002 with Scottish band Ballboy.

Anna was born and grew up in Yorkshire, but has also lived in Canada as a student, Iceland as an au pair, and Costa Rica as a conservation volunteer, where she saw tarantulas, tapirs, monkeys, sloths, crocodiles and giant katydids. She now lives in Edinburgh with her two children and two cats, Skye and Socks.

Reviews

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

I accidentally stole this from a charity shop. Can you get any lower than that?

I’d like to think you can. I could have intentionally stolen it. But in a way, I kind of did that also when I never followed through on my plan to return sometime in the next few days, or weeks, or months, to explain my error and leave five bucks on the table. The sting of guilt has simply faded over time, helped by my attempt at self-justification in saying I have spent a lot of money, plus donated many books and clothes and games to the same charitable company over the years. Hopefully this one small slip is thus forgivable. I only mention it here as, no matter what, I will never not be able to see it and think, “That’s the book I stole from Vinnies”.

At least, having now read this particularly grievous skeleton in my closet, I can say the book’s a good one.

[Lör K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book I grabbed from the children's section of the library, I was curious about this because it seemed thicker than most books found there. Upon reading it, I found a glorious journey through the ocean to discover some of the many species of sharks - and not just sharks!

This is the first shark information book I've come across that also details fully about skates and rays - cousins to the shark - and it was wonderful also learning some little tit bits about them!

Absolutely stunning, although the missing star is due to the fact some of the text was hard to read, having black font on a dark blue background. Other than that I have 0 qualms; this book has correct knowledge, wonderful pictures and great information. Perfect for any young budding marine biologists.

[alexander shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a kid's/junior nonfiction title, so not overly complicated. Includes concepts like the nictitating membrane and ampullae of Lorenzini, which I thought might be a little complicated depending on the age of the kid reading the book. But it features many sharks, including my favorites, the goblin and thresher, and even gives a couple pages on prehistoric sharks. Most importantly, it talks about shark fin soup and why sharks are in danger and need protection. Large pictures, good graphics, informative but not too wordy. A good "my first book of sharks" for any kid in the latter half of primary school. My only disappointment with the book is that it also gave several pages to skates and rays, which, while related to sharks, are not sharks. Given the title is not "sharks AND skates/rays", I felt it a little misleading given the amount of content provided on skates and rays.

[Mrs. Melaugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

A large shark with a gaping mouth on the front cover gives readers fair warning what they will find inside as each of sixteen different kinds of shark gets a two page spread illustrated with eye-catching graphics (mostly photos), a chart that shows the adult shark’s size relative to a human diver, and several paragraphs of relevant facts. A few of the sharks’ close relatives (sawfish, rays, and prehistoric sharks) receive the same treatment. Additional sections cover general shark topics such as teeth, skeleton, skin, senses, eggs, and attacks. The close up photos of each animal staged mostly on black background with well-written captions dramatically illustrate how the sharks have attained their position as top ocean predators and raise this non-fiction book a cut above the average.