Book Review - Sharkopedia

Discovery Channel Sharkopedia: The Complete Guide to Everything Shark

Publisher: Time Home Entertainment
Publication Date: June 2013
ISBN: 978-1603209649
Reviewed by: Ellen Feld
Review Date: August 7, 2013

Sharks have always fascinated people. How else can you explain the incredible popularity of the Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” as well as a myriad of other shows about sharks? There was even a SciFi channel movie recently, crazy as it was, called Sharknado, that went viral and there is now a sequel being planned. With all the movies, books, and documentaries on sharks on the market, do we really need yet another book for young readers on these man-eating monsters of the deep? The answer is yes(!) if it’s done by the Discovery Channel and offers incredible pictures and facts that helps to dispel many of the myths (such as man-eating monsters) surrounding sharks.

Sharkopedia is a great resource with tons of facts on various types of sharks from the lesser known such as requiem and mackerel sharks to the ones of movie fame such as the great white. Every page of this book offers a full-size picture, with text placed carefully around the sharks in the photos so as not to obscure the great photos. Most pages also have several bright bubbles filled with quick facts. Readers will learn many things including which shark Jacques Cousteau considered the most dangerous, the same shark whose numbers have been decimated because their fins are used for shark fin soup; whether a shark’s ability to smell a miniscule amount of blood is fact or fiction; and how many people are bitten by sharks each year versus how many sharks are killed by humans (hint: sharks should fear us a lot more than we fear them!). Bright, interesting, and educational, Sharkopedia is a wonderful addition to the library of any youngster (or adult!) interested in these amazing creatures of the ocean.

Quill says: If you have a young shark enthusiast, don’t miss this book!