December 12, 2016
This handy guide to sharks is one of four titles kicking off a print companion series to the DK Findout! website. After briefly recapping sharks’ characteristics and history on Earth, Fowler goes on to discuss various types (including dogfish, sawsharks, mackerel sharks, and ground sharks), their anatomy, and how they live, reproduce, and hunt. Photographs dominate the image-centric layout, augmented by informational bursts and sidebars, quizzes, and interviews. It’s a brief but thorough overview of an always fascinating predator, housed in an engaging, accessible format. Simultaneously available: Ancient Egypt, Pirates, and Stone Age. Ages 6–9.
April 15, 2017
Grades 3-6 The highly visual books in the DK findout! series are eye-catching and fact rich. The illustrations are the focal point of every page and include an array of artifacts, period artwork, photos, digital artwork and infographics, and reenactor-like pictures of historical scenes. Each comprehensive volume conveys information through short paragraphs, captions, fast facts, and brief interviewsboth real (with subject experts) and imagined (with a historic figure). A time line runs along the end papers, or family tree in the case of Sharks, and a preliminary quiz lets readers test their knowledge before diving into the main text. Abandon ship to explore the shark-infested pages of Sharks, which introduces the nine orders of this fearsome fish, complete with scaled representations. The enticing format of this series is busy without being overstuffed, making it ideal for browsing or luring in reluctant readers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)