Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist

by Jess Keating, Maya Rudolph (Illustrator)

Overview

Named a Best Children's Book of 2017 by Parents Magazine!

This is the story of a woman who dared to dive, defy, discover, and inspire. This is the story of Shark Lady.

Eugenie Clark fell in love with sharks from the first moment she saw them at the aquarium. She couldn't imagine anything more exciting than studying these graceful creatures. But Eugenie quickly discovered that many people believed sharks to be ugly and scary—and they didn't think women should be scientists.

Determined to prove them wrong, Eugenie devoted her life to learning about sharks. After earning several college degrees and making countless discoveries, Eugenie wrote herself into the history of science, earning the nickname "Shark Lady." Through her accomplishments, she taught the world that sharks were to be admired rather than feared and that women can do anything they set their minds to.

An inspiring story by critically acclaimed zoologist Jess Keating about finding the strength to discover truths that others aren't daring enough to see. Includes a timeline of Eugenie's life and many fin-tastic shark facts!

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781492642046
Publisher:	Sourcebooks
Publication date:	06/06/2017
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	3,152
Product dimensions:	10.20(w) x 9.50(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

As an author and zoologist, Jess Keating has tickled a shark, lost a staring contest against an octopus, and been a victim to the dreaded paper cut. She lives in Ontario, Canada, where she spends most of her time writing books for adventurous and funny kids. Her first fiction novel How to Outrun a Crocodile When Your Shoes Are Untied received a Starred Review from Kirkus and has been nominated for a Red Maple award. Visit her online at jesskeating.com.

Editorial Reviews

06/05/2017
Keating (Pink Is for Blobfish) offers a lively portrait of scientist Eugenie Clark, who pursued a passion for sharks. Playfully mixing the aquatic and terrestrial, Miguens (One Small Donkey) shows sharks circling the stacks of the library where a young Clark reads: “Whale sharks. Nurse sharks. Tiger sharks. Lemon sharks. Eugenie wanted to know about them all.” Despite facing discrimination as a woman, Clark earned a zoology degree then literally dove into field research, changing the way sharks were perceived. Through Clark’s story, Keating suggests that, with perseverance, a childhood fascination can evolve into a life’s work. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Kathleen Rushall, Andrea Brown Literary. Illustrator’s agency: Astound. (June)

Publishers Weekly

"This biography rose to the top because it tells Clark's story-from her childhood fascination with sharks to becoming a scientist who was able to train them-without overwhelming kids with text. "After I read this book with my 6-year-old daughter, she told me that she wanted to be a scientist," beamed one dad. " - Parents

"The writing flows well, keeping a clear focus on Clark and her dream, while including pertinent details from the career of "the Shark Lady," known for her groundbreaking research and her work to change people's perceptions of sharks... A lively introduction to an American scientist.
" - Booklist

"A tribute to the courage and indomitable will of the renowned ichthyologist. This eloquent profile follows Clark from a childhood visit to an aquarium through her demonstration that sharks can actually be trained and so are not "mindless killers" as widely supposed" - Kirkus

"The aquatic creatures, drawn with big doe eyes, are depicted as friendly, happy creatures. Back matter includes additional information in a section titled "Shark Bites." A fine way to introduce young children to science" - School Library Journal

"Keating (Pink Is for Blobfish) offers a lively portrait of scientist Eugenie Clark, who pursued a passion for sharks... Through Clark's story, Keating suggests that, with perseverance, a childhood fascination can evolve into a life's work." - Publishers Weekly

"Commemorating a lifetime of discovery and exploration, Shark Lady, from Jess Keating, follows the extraordinary path of Eugenie Clark-inspirational scientist, professor, zoologist, deep sea diver, and champion of sharks the oceans over. Boldly hued and fluidly graceful, illustrations from Marta Álvarez Miguéns, complete with fun facts and a timeline, creatively convey Eugenie's courage and determination as she dives into books, laboratories, education, and open waters to share her love and knowledge of the often misunderstood predators.
" - Foreword Review

""Shark Lady" is a great book to read with a child on one's lap, introducing him or her both to the ocean world as well as someone who defied the naysayers and became a world-renowned scientist and advocate." - Deeper Blue

"This is an inspirational story of a woman who challenged perceptions at a time when few women were encouraged to enter the profession... a great selection for women's history month or for units on ocean life." - School Library Connection

" "Shark Lady" is a celebration of the wonder of nature and of a daring woman who changed the way the world saw the ocean." - A Mighty Girl

From the Publisher

06/01/2017
Gr 1–4—Eugenie Clark (1922–2015) dedicated her life to studying zoology. A professor and a writer who was fascinated with sharks, she emphasized that these animals were not mindless killers. As a result of her tireless work, much of the world realized that sharks needed to be better appreciated and protected. The book is filled with bright blues and greens. The illustrations, done in Adobe Photoshop, portray Clark first as an inquisitive child and later as a tenacious scientist and a deep-sea diver. The aquatic creatures, drawn with big doe eyes, are depicted as friendly, happy creatures. Back matter includes additional information in a section titled "Shark Bites." VERDICT A fine way to introduce young children to science.—Patricia Ann Owens, formerly at Illinois Eastern Community College, Mount Carmel

School Library Journal

2017-03-29
A tribute to the courage and indomitable will of the renowned ichthyologist.This eloquent profile follows Clark from a childhood visit to an aquarium through her demonstration that sharks can actually be trained and so are not "mindless killers" as widely supposed. Throughout, Keating highlights the stubborn tenacity with which she shrugged off the pressure to "Be a secretary! Be a housewife!" and followed a dream "as big as a whale shark." Over the course of her career, she discovered several new species of fish (the Red Sea sand diver, the barred xenia pipefish, and the volcano triplefin) and proved that sharks "deserved to be studied,…protected,…and loved." Keating focuses so closely on presenting her subject as a woman successfully overcoming gender obstacles that there are no references to Clark's family, her death in 2015, or the fact that her mother was "of Japanese descent" and her father "American" (presumably white) until the timeline at the end—and the prejudice she encountered as a result of her mixed-race heritage goes unmentioned. In Miguéns' neatly drawn illustrations, Clark and her mother display slightly East Asian facial features, and figures in crowd and classroom scenes are often people of color. The author appends a section of shark facts, along with a note detailing some of Clark's other discoveries and accomplishments. Inspiring, if agenda driven, and serviceable as a companion or alternative to Heather Lang's Swimming with Sharks, illustrated by Jordi Solano (2016). (bibliography) (Picture book/biography. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews