What child doesn't want to read about sharks--especially after viewing the cover illustration of a great white shark's jaws agape, ready to grab its next meal? The book is a brief overview of shark behavior and characteristics, and it will appeal to the casual reader.

Shark-related terms are defined in the text, which is generally clear and understandable for the target audience. One exception is the poor phrasing on the page discussing baby sharks: "The shark hatches out when it is almost fully grown, and swims off to hide somewhere safe." This sentence will have children imagining a six-foot shark hatching from its egg case.

The author includes topics most likely to appeal to children, including how sharks locate their prey, the structure of their teeth and jaws, and the potential for shark attacks on a humans. The more gruesome aspects of sharks are countered by addressing how scientists study sharks, and the fact that sharks may become endangered.

Attractive, clear illustrations show sharks swimming, attacking prey, and resting on the sea floor. Several drawings--usually one large and the remainder small--and two or three paragraphs of text appear on each two-page spread.

Readers may also want to read Seymour Simon's Sharks, illustrated with outstanding photographs. Older readers may enjoy Mary M. Cerullo's Sharks: Challengers of the Deep.