Neighborhood Sharks

This book fosters the development of scientific processes such as observation. The author, Katherine Roy, visited the Farallons with the scientists who study the islands' shark population. She witnessed seal attacks, observed sharks being tagged in the wild, and got an up close look at the dramatic Farallons. Her observations inspired the book.

Author: Katherine Roy
Illustrator: Katherine Roy
Year Published: 2014
ISBN: 9781596438743

Summary

Neighborhood Sharks is an intimate portrait of the life cycle, biology, and habitat of the great white shark, based on the latest research and an up-close visit with the animals.

Evaluation

Appropriateness: High
Authority: High
Accuracy: High
Liteary Artistry: High
Appearance: High

Questions

Does the book foster development of processes?

Does the book provide an opportunity for children to ask and answer their own questions?

Neighborhood Sharks gives students the opportunity to ask and answer their own questions through Roy's detailed diagrams. These diagrams and accurate drawings throughout the book enable curious readers to learn exactly how the most feared predators maintain their place at the top of the food chain. Higher-level or gifted students can read the small text, while students on a lower reading level can stick with the illustrations, captions, diagrams, and labels. In this way, this text can be differentiated for a large audience.

Does the book encourage children to think for themselves?

I believe that Neighborhood Sharks encourages students to think for themselves. This book may challenge misconceptions students had about sharks and their sometimes frightening behavior. This book gives students an accurate source of information that they can use to compare to their previous background knowledge and question if what they thought about sharks is really accurate.

Is the science topic addressed in ways that are appropriate to the lesson?

I believe that the science topic was addressed appropriately in this book. However, the minimum suggested age range of 7 (or second grade) should be adhered to, since the sharks feed on elephant seals throughout the book. Although this may be more than some younger readers can handle, Roy takes a no-nonsense approach to feeding and does not over-sensationalize this. The sharks are depicted accurately without any unnecessary gore.

Is the content based on sound scientific principles? Is it accurate?

The content in this book was researched by Katherine Roy herself when she went to visit sharks at the Farallon Islands, so it is based on scientific principles like observation. The book is based on the fact that every September the great white sharks return to the San Francisco area to hunt Elephant seals, the sharks' favorite food. Neighborhood Sharks moves on to accurately cover the biology, behavior, habitat, and life cycle of the predators detailed and accurately.

Does the book distinguish between fact and fiction?

This is a nonfiction book, so there is no fiction in it. The facts in this book are found in the drawings, diagrams, and text created by Katherine Roy through her own observations of them at the Farallon Islands.

Are the illustrations clear and accurate?

The text is straightforward, always giving a clear picture of sharks, which are animals that are often misunderstood. The illustrations and diagrams support the text, and the watercolor illustrations are dramatic while still being informative. The art is meticulous and detailed, which is well suited to a nonfiction book.

Is the book written at the level of your students?

This book is more advanced for older grades. There are a lot of words on each page and it uses challenging scientific vocabulary such as "apex predator". However, this vocabulary is always clearly explained through the words and illustrations. Diagrams also really help to support the text and get the information across effectively.

Is there a multicultural component? Is it free from stereotyping?

Unfortunately, I did not see an obvious multicultural component within this book since it is all about sharks and their prey. However, because of this, the book is also free from stereotyping. Nonetheless, I believe that this book could still be used to talk about issues such as judgment since sharks are so feared and misunderstood. The lesson could connect to other groups in history that have been mistreated or judged like sharks often have.

Is the book free from gender bias?

This book is completely free from gender bias, which is extremely important in the subject of science. There are no humans in the book, and there is a lot of information about both male and female sharks. As a result, there are no harmful gender roles that could discourage young girls from being interested in science.

Does the book show the close association between science and other disciplines?

The content of this book connects the disciplines of marine biology, anatomy, and the food chain. It could also be used to make connections between science and literacy since you could use this book in an interactive read-aloud. Neighborhood Sharks could also be used in a writing assignment; since sharks are often misunderstood, students could write a journal entry about how their ideas about sharks have been strengthened or shifted after reading the book.

Does the book present a positive attitude toward science and technology?

Neighborhood Sharks was written by Katherine Roy, a woman who is a scientist and went to observe these sharks firsthand. I think that sharing this information about the author could be very inspiring to young students (especially women) who are interested in becoming scientists themselves. This book encourages students to take science into their own hands and draw conclusions from their research and observations.

Science Topics

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