Two Cool Shark Books

November 8, 2008

Two Cool Shark Books

Sharkpedia
DK Publishing
Ages 9 and up
Hardcover, 128 pages
ISBN: 978-0756637613

$12.99

Buy the book

Get ready. This is one scary shark book. From the toothy cutout cover, to the photos of real shark attack victims and an “attack map” showing a global map of coastal regions where sharks have gnawed upon humans, this book is not for the squeamish, or those who tend to have nightmares (like me). That warning aside, Sharkpedia’s great science writing, fascinating lists, and interesting layout make the most of these beautiful, bizarre, and sometimes frightening, shark photos. And there’s plenty of good info about all kinds of weird-looking sharks that can do cool things but are too small, or just too uninterested, to attack people.

For all the big buildup I just gave the attack angle, the authors have done a great deal in this book to debunk the lore that perpetuates shark phobia – listing, for instance, the many other ways we’re more likely to get hurt than by shark attack (among them lightning strike and “sand hole collapse” – you’ve really got to read this; it’s packed with quotable trivia!) If you remain unconvinced, the book includes instructions about What to Do If You See a Shark, not only while swimming, but also while scuba diving. Knowledge is power!

I’d be remiss not to mention the poster-in-pocket included in the back cover, which features activities and games on one side, and the glossy, toothy maw of the Great, Scary Bigmouth on the other. Eeek!

Read this fun shark compendium and find out:

the three ways baby sharks are born,

how long a Great White Shark can go without eating

the length of the smallest shark

where the Cookie Cutter Shark gets its name

Also coming soon from DK: Sharks and Other Creatures of the Deep

SHARKS: Biggest! Littlest!Sandra Markle

Photographs: Doug Perrine

Ages 5-7

Hardcover, 32 pages

10.1 x 7.8 x 0.4 inches

Boyds Mills Press

ISBN: 978-1590785133

$16.95

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From the largest shark (as long as a school bus) to the smallest (a little shorter than the width of a sheet of notebook paper), this picture book shows how a shark’s size helps it survive in the world of the sea. A variety of exciting and beautiful photographs by one of the world’s foremost marine wildlife photographers,Doug Perrine, paired with Sandra Markle’s lively and informative text, introduces children to these fascinating sea creatures and their habitats (Teachers: a colorful map at the back points out regions of the globe where the sharks describe in this book can be found!)

Although created for a decidedly younger audience, this shark book has enough teeth and gaping maws to achieve the desired “wow factor”!

Fun websites for shark fans:

Cool Shark Photos

Great White Shark video (National Geographic)

Find out about Shark Species

Ceci Miller owns CeciBooks, an editorial and book publishing consultancy that empowers authors to write, publish, and market irresistible books that uplift and inspire. Ceci has written, co-authored, and edited books with bestselling authors and experts since 1988. See new and popular book projects. Also . . . Find expert information on writing, publishing, and marketing a book in CeciBooks Chats (Getting Started series is FREE).A graduate of the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop, Ceci Miller is also the author of two published children’s picture books, and former contributing editor for Darshan, an international magazine. A student of yoga and meditation since 1976, Ceci leads seminars that explore language as a vehicle for personal transformation. Based on her book Sacred Visitations, and the popular book she co-authored with John Lee, Writing from the Body, Ceci’s work (both with CeciBooks authors and in public programs) blends writing, intuitive guidance, and contemplative practices that connect right brain creativity with your true intention.

Flight of the Hummingbird

October 25, 2008

A Flight of the Hummingbird
Parable for the Environment
Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas
with Wangari Maathai and His Holiness the 14th Dalai LamaHardcover, 64 pages
8.1 x 5.4 x 0.5 inches

Greystone Books
ISBN-13: 978-1553653721
$16.00 CAD
Buy the Book

See the animated Haida-Manga video!

“Here is the story of the great forest
that caught on fire.”

Flight of the Hummingbird is one of those rare books destined to become a treasured artifact. Having now turned the perfectly made pages of this little book numerous times, and been touched by its story and the sense of global hope that surrounds the project, I am no less captivated than I was on the first read.

Greystone Books offers us a timeless story here, one long-held by the Quechan people of South America, the Haida of the North Pacific, and now modern-day environmentalists and activists. We receive the gift through the unique artistic vision of Michael Nicoll Yahgulanaas, whose work animates the iconography of the Haida menagerie, retaining the traditional red, black, and white palette while freshening the animal forms for a modern global audience. Yahgulanaas calls it “Haida Manga,” allowing these ancient animal symbols to spring to narrative life — flying, leaping, questioning and emitting exclamations at the determination of the story’s unlikely heroine. She is Dukdukdiya, a lone hummingbird who simply and steadily “does what she can” despite the danger and the remoteness of personal reward.

The essay, “The Hummingbird Effect,” by editor Michelle Benjamin, elegantly contextualizes the diminutive bird’s popularity among the stories of indigenous peoples of the Americas.

It comes as no surprise that two Nobel Peace Prize-winners enfold this book in their blessings. The Foreword by Wangari Maathai and the Afterword by His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama endow it with the global weight it richly deserves.

There is absolutely nothing I do not love about this slender volume. Its tale is true, the art is delightful, its editorial treatment is excellently simple and direct, and the book itself is beautifully made. I typically donate the books I review, but this one I’m keeping. I just can’t part with it.

A beautiful holiday book, it would make a fine accompaniment to the gift of a donation in a loved one’s name to any of the following worthy environmental organizations, or your own favorite. In this small way one might imitate hummingbird Dukdukdiya’s forbearance, her humble willingness in the face of the large task of saving the earth, to start where we are, and “do what we can”:

The Sierra Club
The Rainforest Alliance
National Resources Defense Council

Ceci Miller owns CeciBooks, an editorial and book publishing consultancy that empowers authors to write, publish, and market irresistible books that uplift and inspire. Ceci has written, co-authored, and edited books with bestselling authors and experts since 1988. See new and popular book projects. Also . . . Find expert information on writing, publishing, and marketing a book in CeciBooks Chats (Getting Started series is FREE).A graduate of the University of Iowa Writer’s Workshop, Ceci Miller is also the author of two published children’s picture books, and former contributing editor for Darshan, an international magazine. A student of yoga and meditation since 1976, Ceci leads seminars that explore language as a vehicle for personal transformation. Based on her book Sacred Visitations, and the popular book she co-authored with John Lee, Writing from the Body, Ceci’s work (both with CeciBooks authors and in public programs) blends writing, intuitive guidance, and contemplative practices that connect right brain creativity with your true intention.