There are so many great books out there for kids these days, it can be fun to put a grouping together to highlight a specific theme or idea. When I recently got a review copy of Shark Nate-O, which is coming out this April, it made me think of all of the fun books with a Shark theme. So sink your teeth into these great books!
As mentioned, I received an unfinished review copy of Shark Nate-O, by Becky Cattie and Tara Luebbe from the #kidlitexchange. This book is GREAT! It is about a little boy who loves sharks, knows everything there is to know about them, wants to be a shark, but doesn’t know how to swim. With wonderful word play, we watch as Nate learns how to swim and becomes truly “jawsom.” The book even has a spread of “Nate’s Shark Facts” for all of those shark lovers out there.
Another kid who loves sharks is Shawn in Shawn Loves Sharks, by Curtis Manley. This great book features a boy named Shawn who, like Nate, loves all things Shark. When his class is going to do projects about predators, he is excited and of course wants to do the shark. But his teacher has the students pick names out of a bowl and instead of the shark, he gets the Leopard Seal. To make matters worse, Stacy gets the Great White Shark. Then both kids research and wind up loving their animals, and even though seals and sharks are not friends, he and Stacy could be. There is so much to like about this one, especially how the kids use their love of these animals as part of their play routines. A great shark book.
Young Stevie loves sharks so much, they are all that he thinks about. In I Love Sharks, Too! by Leanne Shirtliffe, each time his mom asks him to do something, Stevie responds with a cheeky shark fact, like “Lantern sharks glow in the dark. No lights-out for them.” Stevie is kind of annoying, but we all know someone with a love so strong for a certain animal that they can spout out random facts all day long. It is amazing what kids remember when they really take an interest in something. The back of this book has some additional facts about sharks.
Want a shark lover to learn something about poetry? Give him Slickety Quick: Poems About Sharks, by Skila Brown. This ingenious book utilizes a wide variety of poetic formats and factual information to lure the shark lover in. Each spread in this book features a poem about a different shark. Put the poems together with lifelike illustrations from Bob Kolar and great layout from Candlewick Press and this is an exciting way to bring poetry to life.
I have long enjoyed the Mathstart series of books. I included them when I did a post about books that helped make math fun. For the shark lover, Mathstart offers Shark Swimathon to work on subtraction, swimming, and teamwork. In this book, a team of sharks need to swim 75 laps in 4 days to raise money to go to swim camp and young learners see how to subtract 2 digit numbers. There are some math tips in the back of the book as well.
Of course, there are also some really wonderful non-fiction shark books that read like stories. One of my personal favorites is Shark Lady, by Jess Keating. Another great is How to Survive as a Shark, by Kristin Foote. This lively book is full of amazing facts, but told from a shark pirate who is giving life lessons for a young shark.