Celebrate Shark Week by chews-ing one of these jaw-dropping library items selected by our fin-tastic librarians!
I Am The Shark
By Joan Holub
Picture Book
What makes the great white shark (one of) the greatest fish in the sea? Find out in this hilarious fish-out-of-water story that’s perfect for Shark Week and all year-round!
I’m Getting a Shark!
By Brady Smith
Picture Book
Meet a little girl who is the biggest shark superfan around! And when she overhears her parents utter the word “shark” while discussing her birthday, her imagination is off and running. She can’t wait to be surprised by the pet shark she just KNOWS is coming her way . . . but what kind will it be?
Big Shark, Little Shark, Baby Shark
By Anna Membrino
Beginner Book
What happens when Mommy Shark, Daddy Shark, Grandpa Shark, and Grandma Shark find out that Big Shark and Little Shark are avoiding Baby Shark? A cute story for very young kids about including others and how having fun is contagious.
Surprising Sharks
By Nicola Davies
Children’s Nonfiction
“SHAAAARRRKK!” That’s probably the last word anyone wants to hear while swimming in the warm blue sea. But most sharks aren’t at all what people expect. In fact, those who think all sharks are giant, man-eating killers are in for a surprise. The compelling narrative, colorful illustrations, and captivating facts in Surprising Sharks reveal that sharks come in all shapes and sizes—and probably should be more afraid of humans than we are of them.
The Shallows
AD 19168
One of my favorite shark movies is The Shallows starring Blake Lively as Nancy Adams, a medical student grieving the loss of her mom. She finds solace in surfing a secluded beach her mother loved, until a shark attack leaves her injured and stranded just a few hundred yards from shore. She has to pit her wits against the shark and the elements quickly if she is going to save her life. This is a beautifully photographed, exciting film. Lively does a terrific job carrying the emotions of fear and desperation. Audiences will find it so grippingly satisfying they will never want to swim in open water again.
Emperors of the Deep: Sharks—the Ocean’s Most Mysterious, Most Misunderstood, and Most Important Guardians
By William McKeever
Adult Nonfiction
A book about how sharks maybe aren’t so terrifying. Though media conditions us to see sharks as cold-blooded creatures who want human flesh above anything else, this book explores the history of the shark and their importance to our ecosystem. Explore their history and follow four different species in their natural habitat. Maybe they are cuter and cuddlier than we are shown in movies and TV!
Jaws
HO 1726
I first saw Jaws at a drive-in movie theater with my mom and dad when I was ten years old. Fantastic! When I saw the movie, I saw the ocean, and some colorful characters being thrown uncomfortably together. Of course, the shark is the problem that brings the characters and the story together, but my favorite parts of Jaws are the parts that play out between the “scary” action bits. I like the scenes in which the characters are getting fleshed out a bit. Seeing the shark trying to chomp down into their more literal flesh was a bit drab in comparison. Like so many genre films of the 1970s that were good enough to not be completely and almost instantly forgotten, Jaws isn’t a one-trick sea pony. It is a story about a giant killer shark, yes, but it is also a story about people. It is horror, adventure, and some comedy, and some good straight-up drama about human beings and the relationships between them. I became, and remain, a fan of Jaws (for me there is only one Jaws, no sequels worthy of being in the same wading pool) because I enjoy the banter, the tension, the occasional comradery between the three men on the boat. They are thrown together for a common purpose, but are very different. I do like that the film also stars the Ocean and the sun and the seemingly infinite horizon. The Ocean has always been one of my favorite actresses. She is sublime on her surface and she is sublime down to her depths.
Shark
VIDEO 597.34 Sh233
Stealthy hunters. Fearless predators. Brilliant survivors. The oceans’ greatest creatures have been shrouded by mystery and fear, until now. The most ambitious shark film ever made is a stunning high-definition spectacle that captures astounding, jaw-dropping footage.
We of-fish-ally wish you a Happy Shark Week and hope you’ll enjoy learning and reading more about these incredible and amazing creatures!
