If Sharks Disappeared

Reviewed by: Jill O'Connor - Harriet Beecher Stowe Elementary School, Brunswick, Southern Maine Library District

Review Date: February 8, 2018

Review

This is a book that is excellent in the hands of an educator or a parent willing to engage in conversation and entertain "what if" questions. Williams's thesis is that if sharks were to disappear, the balance of the ecosystem within the ocean would be drastically affected and that, eventually, this would have reverberations throughout other ecosystems (land animals reliant upon the ocean for food and then to humans). Williams does not offer any reason within her book as to why sharks would disappear, so the entire book is just one big "What if." Since children are prone to this type of questioning, it is not a terrible device, but it seems hard to rally people to action without giving them any rallying points. In the back matter, Williams offers suggestions for action, and this is helpful, but it requires digging to find it and more attention as the print is quite small. The illustrations are bright and engaging, and will appeal to young readers. And the thesis is steeped in sound scientific theory and research. It's a book with a fantastic message and will be appreciated by budding ecologists and zoologists, but I felt like a piece of the narrative that would have tied together the cause-and-effect message more effectively was missing.

Overall Book Score: good