David Doubilet

Yes, I am aware it is no longer Shark Week or anywhere in the vicinity thereof. But really, shouldn't we celebrate sharks all the time? Yes, yes, we should (although I personally am more of a hyena fan).

What could be better for young shark fans than National Geographic shark books, full of exciting pictures, interesting facts, and real-life shark encounters? Not much! The Ultimate Book of Sharks was created primarily with the photographs of Brian Skerry and the text is scattered with his own show more experiences, encounters, and quotes regarding sharks. The bulk of the book is divided up into the facts that National Geographic does so well. There are chapters on the unique anatomy of sharks, well-known sharks like the great white and the hammerhead and lesser-known, smaller sharks, and more prolific sharks. A chapter on shark myths addresses the dreaded shark attack, another covers the fascinating world of prehistoric sharks and their fossils. The last two chapters address the superlatives - the biggest, fastest, smallest, deepest, and more and the plight of sharks in the world today and how kids can be involved in helping them. Back matter includes an index, credits, and acknowledgements.

I also received a paperback copy of Face to Face with sharks. The Face to Face with... series was originally published several years ago but is being republished in paperback. To the best of my knowledge, this is just a new printing; the books are not being updated. However, they are aimed at a slightly younger audience, with larger, simpler text and as such include few things like dates or specific current research that would become outdated.

This series covers the basic facts about sharks' anatomy and behavior and their conservation. There is no table of contents, but there is a glossary, questions, find out more and a few other back matter elements.

Verdict: For all your shark fans, The Ultimate Book of Sharks is a must-have. It's full of interesting facts and photos, personal encounters, and is sure to interest kids whether they read straight through or dip in and browse. I really like the Face to Face series, but I rarely purchase popular nonfiction, like animals, in paperback so this probably isn't one I'd use on the shelf. However, if you purchase paperback nonfiction it's a great opportunity to get new copies of this popular series.

The Ultimate Book of Sharks
ISBN: 9781426330711; Published May 2018
Face to face with sharks
ISBN: 9781426332593; This edition published April 2018

Titles published by National Geographic; Review copies provided by publisher; Donated to the library (previously purchased an additional copy of both titles) show less

How many people are scared of sharks? Sharks are portrayed to be scary creatures because they attack things in water suddenly for no apparent reason right? I bet not very many people know that there are more people that actually attack sharks than sharks attacking people. People fish for sharks because they want to collect their fins to sell or sell the shark itself. Sharks are aggressive creatures, but they are more curious than anything. Most of the time sharks attack surfers because they show more are mistaken for seals. "Face To Face With Sharks" is interesting because there is much information that many people do not normally hear. Many people think that they are the victims of the sharks, but the sharks are actually more of the victims since they are hunted and captured more than people are. Once someone gains knowledge of something they fear or are unsure about, he or she will look at it in a totally different way once they are educated about it. For example, "Face To Face With Sharks" is very informative and can help people better understand sharks and their behavior. Once people understand sharks a little bit more, they are less likely to be afraid of them. Also, by people understanding sharks, this knowledge can help them prevent future attacks from sharks and to sharks. What do you say? Come and join us on this wild adventure of discovering the different unique characteristics and qualities many sharks posses. show less

Finally bought this after having my eye on it for ages. It is out of print, so not inexpensive even used. However, the photos are spectacular. The text is interesting as well, though a relatively minor part of the book.

Although it is much less intrusive from a graphical design standpoint, it does irritate me that the captions are sideways ( oriented vertically). It's very hard on the eyes and neck to keep on twisting around to read them.

OPINION: This book is really cool. I once swam in waters at the same time as a shark and I just have kinda thought of them as interesting for a while so this is a great book. This book only got 4 stars because it doesn't exacly immediately cut to the chase about sharks but that's only minor. I think anyone interested in sharks should definitely read this book because it doesn't take too terribly long to read. I especially like on page 10 where it shows shark eggs and yolk. But this book does show more show the sadness of how shark fins are sold for soup killing millions of sharks a year.

SUMMARY: The book Face to Face with sharks by David Doublet is my non-fiction librarything. This book starts off telling from the view of the author and when he saw his first shark. It continues to tell how he had a slight obsession and tells how not to get eaten by a shark. This book continues and adds some small illustrations with captions to explain the photo.One of these is with shark eggs and yolks. Then it goes on to tell the terrifying truth about millions of sharks being each year, this book is very interesting and helps with shark information. It all ends telling how humans are sharks biggest threats. show less