Sharks! I was fascinated by the ocean dwellers when I was a child, and the interest is shared by other children, then and now. My youngest daughter's favorite animal is the shark. With so much guaranteed appeal, choosing this nonfiction book as an addition to our library was easy. The format follows other books in the Eye Wonder series, with information about sharks broken down in two-page segments, and augmented with a heaping amount of photographs and illustrations. To mention just a few of the covered topics, the book teaches young readers about a shark's anatomy, birthing habits, and and how they hunt and eat. Towards the end, the authors include information on endangered sharks, sharks from the past and their fossils, and especially strange varieties of the animal. Textual supports such as an index, a glossary, and a table of contents are used to organize information for readers.

I am a vocal fan of DK's nonfiction catalog. The publishers create gorgeous picture books that blend the visual and verbal information in an appealing package. Books are accurately written at the appropriate age level; for example, this series is a younger version of their Eyewitness Books series, and the pages are accordingly filled with less text, simpler vocabulary, and bigger fonts. Topics in the series are built around subjects of particular interest to younger children. This shark book utilizes all of those qualities, and is an excellent example of how children's nonfiction can be both educational and entertaining. ( )