Shark Baby

By: Ann Downer
Illustrated by: Shennen Bersani
Publisher: Sylvan Dell
Publication Date: March 2013
ISBN: 978-1607186229
Reviewed by: Deb Fowler
Review Date: March 2013

Way beneath the ocean waves the seahorses, little crab, and a fish were nearby the Shark Baby who nestled in his egg case. The case was secure because it was “tied fast to a strand of kelp.” When he was tiny he was able to turn this way and that in his case, but soon he grew too big to “do somersaults.” Baby Shark looked this way and that, as he wondered to himself, “What kind of shark am I?” A storm tumbled through the ocean and “the egg case broke loose” and he “went tumbling and rolling in the wild current.” Whoosh! The case had torn as it tumbled and through the opening he saw a big, giant eyeball and lots of spots. What could that strange thing be?

It was a horn shark, but when he asked Shark Baby what he was he had no answer. “I don’t know,” he replied. The current continued to move Baby Shark along the bottom of the ocean floor. Once again he met up with an unusual creature. What could that strange thing be? Of course it was another shark, a pajama shark. “A pajama shark is a fine thing to be,” exclaimed the shark. Maybe, just maybe Baby Shark was a pajama shark too. He was going to meet up with many other ocean creatures, including an octopus, a manatee, a manta ray, a sea lion, and others. They were all very interested in him, but who was going to tell him what kind of shark he was?

This is a delightfully fun book of how Shark Baby finds out just who he is. The flow of the story is perfect as the reader follows Shark Baby as he discovers his world and the other creatures in it. The artwork is beautiful with full-page, full-color illustrations that introduce us to many different type of sharks. Of course children will also be able to look around the ocean floor as they identify Baby Shark's neighbors. Newly independent readers can tackle this beginning nonfiction book with a bit of assistance with more difficult words such as “pufferfish.” In the back of the book are several activities that can be downloaded and printed from the publisher’s website. This would be an excellent book to read and discuss in the homeschool or classroom setting.

Quill says: This adorable book is perfect for the young nonfiction reader who wants to learn about sharks!