Introduction: Why the shark obsession?

Sharks are one of the top marine predators most loved and studied by kids and adults today. Notice I said, "One of".

Big nature organizations such as Discovery's Shark Week,

and its rival, National Geographic's Sharkfest (rivaling its competitor with SIX weeks of shark TV festivities) both capitalize on this fascination we humans have for these dramatic predators of the sea. 

Did you know that sharks actually aren't the TOP marine predator? 

Nope! That gold medal belongs to the KILLER WHALE, which is actually a member of the dolphin family.

For the record, the Killer whale can take down a Great White shark, commonly know to be the top predator of the sea. Have a look at "Great White Sharks Are Completely Terrified of Orcas."

Now that you know the truth, don't be surprised if next year, Discovery, National Geographic, or someone creates an "Orca Week" or Killer Whalefest. 

Honestly, I think the sharks win the "fiercest most dramatic looking" among these two top marine predators compared with the cute "baby" faced "Killer Whales"....shhh, don't tell them I said that. 

Now that we got the "why" out of the way about the sharks obsession craze, if you have a kiddo that's coming up fascinated with all things sharks, lets have a look at the BEST kids shark books out.

FYI, I'm also going to give a special shout out to some oldies but goodies books, as time cannot erase their genuine rich goodness just because the were written a decade or more ago. 

Let's have a looky now at our first shark book review.

DK Sharks and Other Deadly Ocean Creatures Visual Encyclopedia

***Disclaimor: I'm using the Amazon Associate program's affiliate links in this post which does not alter the pricing for you, but, NatureGlo's eScience gets a small commission. There. I said it.

I'll start with one of Amazon's best seller shark books for kids, and, in my opinion, THE MOST dramatic looking book called, Sharks and Other Deadly Ocean Creatures Visual Encyclopedia.

This 208-page hardback book does cover other ocean creatures, as the title mentions. It's rated for ages 9 - 12, but, I think it's great for younger kids and adults too.

My 5 Top Raves of Sharks and Other Deadly Ocean Creatures Visual Encyclopedia

What's NOT to love? Do you feel me on that yet? 

#1. Outstanding Real-life AND life-like photography for BOTH past and present sharks. There's a mix of real life and digitized photography for both present and past sharks. You get colorific up close, REAL LIFE or LIFE-LIKE BRILLIANT, OUTSTANDING photography.

You really get to know the actual physical features of each of the animals. I find it fascinating that scientists can create such visually stunning digitized images from pre-historic animals using fossils and computer digitization. Modern day technology allows scientists to create close to or spot on accurate with what the animals could have looked like.

How will we ever really know how accurate these pre-historic shark images are, is my big question. But, I admit, it's fun to fuel our imagination with how extinct sharks and other animals may have looked.

Here's an example from Sharks and Other Deadly Ocean Creatures Visual Encyclopedia of a beautifully accurate digitized Great white shark. Pretty impressive.

#2. Up to Date. Latest most up to date scientific information. I mean, come on, it's from DK, they're brand name says it all. Reputation, reputation, reputation. They're always on the cutting edge of the latest information about the animals.

#3. Easily Read. I notice that the layout is exquisitely laid out and clutter-free. This is important. Kids can get overwhelmed easily by an information book whose page layouts are JAM PACKED with information all over the page. It can be hard to know where to look first for many kids, ESPECIALLY, for those having reading challenges such as dyslexia or ADD or ADHD. They really toned down the information to be concise and between the graphics and brilliant syntax, the reader is magnetically drawn in.

#4. Best for Homeschool Shark Unit Study Planning and Discussion. One of my biggest tips for having successful homeschool unit studies is to have a family discussion with your kids BEFORE planning any of your unit studies. Why? You get your kids buy-in and excitement. A family discussion helps them learn to take responsibility for their education, and discussion helps liberate their voice, much needed in our adult-centric world today. I go into greater detail in my post here, How to Create A Homeschool Unit Study with Family Discussion.

• You can bring the DK Sharks and Other Deadly Ocean Creatures Visual Encyclopedia (as a surprise?) to your family unit study discussion.
• Your kiddos can flip through the book and see what shark species they're most interested in learning about.
• You can then easily write down both in list format and using my brainstorming template from NatureGlo's Unit Study Planner BUNDLE below to help you record all the shark species your kids are most interested in learning about for your shark unit study.

#5. My best math Tip. - Look at each shark species data file per page. It will give you math facts from sizes to weights etc. You can use this data to come up with fascinating math challenges or stories related to your child's favorite shark. This brings math alive, make is VERY practical, and your child might even start to fall in love with math for the first time, if they haven't already.

Each shark species has a Data File card assigned to it. From this, you can derive many math facts and create living math stories with your kiddos.

My Complaints of Sharks and Other Deadly Ocean Creatures Visual Encyclopedia

None!

NatureGlo's Rating for DK Sharks and Other Deadly Ocean Creatures Visual Encyclopedia 

I joyfully give DK Sharks and Other Deadly Ocean Creatures Visual Encyclopedia a 5 star rating, hands down! 

National Geographic Kids: The Ultimate Book of Sharks by Brian Skerry