August 17, 2025 By Maria
Apparently, not having cable can cause you to totally miss shark week. . .by a long shot. I thought it took place in August, but it was weeks ago in July. Oh well. It’s still summer. Plenty of beach days remain, so let’s read about sharks!
One of my favorite shark picture books of all time is Shawn Loves Sharks by Curtis Manley. This cute and fun book is about a shark obsessed boy, who takes his shark mania to loveable extremes. Tracy Subisak’s illustrations add to the playfulness and humor of the story. Shawn’s life is upturned when classmate Stacy is assigned sharks for a school project and Shawn gets leopard seals, dun dun dun! Shawn learns that seals aren’t as horrible as he first imagined and that friendship is more important than sharks. I love reading about Shawn’s shark obsession. This feels very real to me. My kids had, and have, their own share of obsessions from dinosaurs to Spiderman to corny jokes. I also remember having my own obsessions as a kid. Shawn and Stacy’s interactions mimic my two younger kids’ relationship as well. Especially the part when Shawn realizes he’s taken things too far and decides to do the right thing. Yes, very familiar.
My kids are familiar with reading picture book biographies for fun and for learning. I usually also learn something new when we read them. Swimming with Sharks: The Daring Discoveries of Eugenie Clark by Heather Lang and illustrated by Jordi Solano is an awesome picture book biography. Picture book biographies are such a fun and engaging way to learn about historical figures. Eugenie Clark was a female figure in marine biology who worked extensively with sharks. Clark’s mother was Japanese American and her mother’s Japanese heritage and cultural focus on the sea partially inspired Clark’s interest in marine life. (If you are interested in reading another picture book about Clark, check out Shark Lady). Until reading this book, I didn’t even know who Eugenie Clark was. I loved learning about her and how her childhood interest in sharks nourished her career and life calling.
Clark’s passion for sharks is inspiring. Several years ago, I met the author of Swimming with Sharks, Heather Lang at a children’s picture book festival. We had a short discussion about her writing and research process and how she chooses her subjects. She glowed when talking about Eugenie Clark. It was very inspiring to see how much she cared about Clark, science, and women in history. Another thing I loved about this book was that we learned about a woman in science and how important her contributions to the field were. I even used one of Clark’s discoveries about sharks in a fun competition with my husband last summer. We were playing a shark trivia game at a children’s museum and my knowledge of Eugenie Clark gained me the winning point. I hope you are also inspired to follow your calling and investigate your interests after reading this book.
If you are interested in investigating more facts about sharks, I recommend The Shark Book by Steve Jenkins and Robin Page. This book is information packed with a sleek and simple design. The book has clear and non-scary illustrations of different sharks with comparisons to show their size. The book covered general shark information including gestation and birth. It’s a great overview of sharks and the perfect book to bring into a science shark lesson or read with a shark story book.
Another lesson to learn about sharks is their importance in our ecosystem. If Sharks Disappeared by Lily Williams is a great book to teach about sustainability and ecosystems. A young girl and her dog teach about the history and importance of sharks as the ocean’s apex predator. This book shows that sharks are not evil, but a necessary component to our environment. The author explains overfishing and extinction in a way children can understand. The book ends on a positive note about how we are all connected and need to do our best to work together and take care of our planet.
Connecting learning and science with great stories is one of my favorite things. As an adult, I can’t believe how much I have learned from picture books, especially history/biographies and science picture books. I felt that the visual way Williams’ book showed the part sharks play in the environment helped me understand more fully the impact of over hunting. I loved Shawn’s enthusiasm for sharks. I felt that same passion taken to a deeper level when reading about Eugenie Clark. I expanded my knowledge of sharks in Jenkins’ book. What have you learned while reading to kids?
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