Shark Lady

Shark Lady – The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating  Illustrated by Marta Alvarez Miguens
Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Date: 6 June 2017

I wasn’t sure what to expect from the book ‘Shark Lady: the true story of how Eugenie Clark became the ocean’s most fearless scientist’.  To be honest I had never heard of her before, but when I read the description of the book I was indeed wanting to learn more about her and her love for sharks.

The book comes out today and I think it is a great for children and teens of all ages to learn about this scientist who loved them and shares just how beautiful they are to her. While not all of us look at sharks and think they’re beautiful, in fact sharks ignite fear into most of us.  However, Eugenie Clark was not like most people and as the title of the book suggests she is fearless and loved sharks from a young age.  Eugenie’s love was not a simple look from a distance love, but it was a passion that saw her filling her mind with knowledge about them and becoming the youngest member of the Queens County Aquarium Society.  As Eugenie continues through life her passion and knowledge grows and she fulfills her dream of studying sharks.  She shows the world that they are not mindless killers but rather a smart and beautiful species that need protecting.

The book begins with Eugenie’s story in picture book form, which suits a variety of ages on different levels.  I found it was a good way to learn about her and can see this format being quite useful for a classroom full of 5 year olds.  As the book progresses, there is an enlightening section on shark facts, many of those facts I certainly didn’t know.  The visual timeline informs the reader on Eugenie Clark’s life right up until her death, this would be particularly good for a student doing a project on her in primary or infant school as it is very easy to read and follow.

The illustrations are beautiful with lovely hues of colour.  The illustrator has drawn all the fish with expressions on their faces that make them lifelike. The illustrator has also been very mindful of gravity in the underwater pictures…nothing has been overlooked.

This book is fantastic, informative, engaging and arms you with knowledge.  I can’t say that I will want to be cuddling up to sharks like Eugenie did but I have a little more respect for them now that I have more information on them. What I did get out of this book though, is that if you follow your passion you never know where it might take you. Set goals and follow your heart, just as Eugenie did.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for the opportunity to read and leave an honest review for this book.