Sharks: Nature's Perfect Hunter (Science Comics) by Joe Flood (Review)

Title: Sharks: Nature’s Perfect Hunter
Author: Joe Flood
Type: Nonfiction, Sequential Art, Graphic Novel
Genre: Science, Animals
Publisher: First Second (Macmillan)
Published: April 17, 2018

A physical copy of this book was kindly provided by the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

For over 400 million years, sharks have been the ocean’s top predator! They’re vital to our ecosystem, but their importance is often overshadowed by our own fear—even though they hardly ever threaten humans.

Dive in for an intimate look at the dynamic hammerhead, infamous great white, primordial megalodon, and the gentle nurse shark, the rare species that will let a scuba diver pet them! This book is filled to the gills with jaw-dropping illustrations and razor-sharp facts that shed light on these fascinating creatures of the deep, including their undersea terrain, cunning adaptability, and staggering variety.

Every volume of Science Comics offers a complete introduction to a particular topic—dinosaurs, coral reefs, the solar system, volcanoes, bats, flying machines, and more. These gorgeously illustrated graphic novels offer wildly entertaining views of their subjects. Whether you’re a fourth grader doing a natural science unit at school or a thirty year old with a secret passion for airplanes, these books are for you!

– My Review –

Personally, I am quite afraid of sharks. But I also know that they are misunderstood for the most part (and my bestie absolutely loves them), so I’ve been trying to learn more about them rather than just judge them due to their portrayal in films. I like that this comic is a very informative one, and that it displays key information about sharks in a manner that is both entertaining and educational for both children and adults.

Despite reading plenty of books without pictures in them, when it comes to nonfiction, I will admit that I often need some imagery to help me along. I have always been fascinated by science, but was always more drawn to the images in science textbooks rather than the explanatory text. And since Sharks: Nature’s Perfect Hunter is all images, this comic was easy for me to get through despite my fear of sharks. As someone who is trying to be less prejudiced against sharks, and who is trying to learn more about them in order to understand them, I truly appreciate that this comic starts out by addressing the fear for sharks that is ingrained into our culture. Flood definitely makes some good points (which made me nod my head in solemn agreement), and which actually made me feel sympathetic toward sharks. This book also contains a lot of scientific information about sharks that I was not aware of beforehand, and which I really appreciated learning.

Since I think that a culture is more likely to be changed if the change is brought on through an altered education for children, it could be worth it for schools to maybe check out the Science Comics series, and see whether they can assign books like these to school children. I know that I for one would have been much happier to learn scientific facts from a comic book (and would definitely have retained more information that way)! I really appreciate what Sharks: Nature’s Perfect Hunter has taught me, and I think that it’s a must-read for readers young and old. I will also be checking out the rest of the Science Comis series for myself and for my future children!