Great to see this new breed of biographies written with the younger audience in mind while retaining all the elements of a biography. Simple understandable text, great illustrations, a time line and bibliography ensure that it's not only engaging but also can be used as an educational tool.

I love when someone can bring a character to life. It’s even better when they can take a real persona and make their story interesting and entertaining for children. Shark Lady does just that. It is a short picture book about how lots of study, and being confident in yourself can make your dreams come true. In this case Eugenie loved sharks. By studying them, she could show the world that they are not vicious animals, but wildly diverse fish. I like the info bits at the back, but my favorite thing has to be the timeline at the back of the book that has moments of great significance to Eugenie Clark. Very well done, and perfect for shark week and shark enthusiastic kids.

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There is a strong movement to encourage young girls to pursue careers in science and technology. While we are pushing our next generation of great thinkers, some picture book authors are putting together absolutely brilliant biographies of women who were ahead of their time and who made great advances in their individual fields. One of the books in this category is The Shark Lady – The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean’s Most Fearless Scientist by Jess Keating and illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns. (June 2017, Sourebooks).

From a very young age, Eugenie Clark was fascinated with sharks. She longed to swim with them and see the world through their eyes. She also wanted to show people that they were beautiful. Eugenie read book after book on sharks and filled many notebooks.

Not surprisingly, as Eugenie grew older, she continued to pursue zoology with a focus on sharks. But all around her, she was confronted by people who told her that she should forget her studies and be a secretary or housewife.

Fortunately, Eugenie ignored them and followed her dream. She was the first to prove that sharks do not have to always move in order to stay alive. She discovered new species of fish. She also believed that sharks were very intelligent creatures and was the first to actually train sharks.

The story itself is marvelous and really talks about perseverance and determination. At a time when women were really discouraged from being intellectuals and especially scientists, she not only proved that women could do it, but made tremendous discoveries in her field. But Keating went beyond just providing a superb biography. In the back of the book are two exceptional spreads. The first is called shark bites and is full of information on sharks as a way to entice young minds. The second is a time line so that readers can get a better sense of when she lived and when her discoveries were made.

For any child with an interest in marine biology, Shark Lady is a great book to show them where a dream and passion can get you.

An important, moving, and gorgeous book that I will read time and time again.

Eugenie Clark decided at a young age that the scary sharks everyone else hated she loved, and that she wanted to study them when she grew up. Despite social pressures to choose a different field, Eugenie got her zoology degrees and went on to make many important discoveries about sharks and other fish. In the back of this picture book biography are more shark facts and a timeline of Eugenie’s life with more details about her accomplishments.

Jess Keating did a fantastic job of writing this in an engaging and informative way for kids. (Make sure you read her note on how much else she wanted to share about Eugenie.) Marta Álvarez Miguéns’ illustrations are a perfect complement to the tone Keating sets, furthering the appeal to young readers and forging a stronger connection between them and Eugenie. Which is great because Eugenie Clark is a great heroine for young readers. She was biracial at a time when that would have been hard (half Japanese, half Caucasian American born in 1922), she lost her father at a young age, she was a girl trying to get into a science field when that was frowned upon, and she challenged supposed well known science “facts.” But she persevered when others doubted and scoffed at her dreams and ideas, and in the end, she reaped rewards for that perseverance and bravery that we also benefit from. Definitely will be encouraging our elementary school library to purchase this. Hand this to kids who love animals, especially sharks, and those who have dreams that may seem daunting.

(This review will be posted on May 1 on GoodReads at the link provided below, and a slight variation of it will appear on my blog the same day at the other link provided.)

This is an amazing picture book biography of the life of Eugenie Clark, a scientist who studied sharks. This particular book has super engaging pictures along with a very friendly text that will keep kids asking questions throughout the story.

Anyone who has read Keating's chapter book series, My Life Is a Zoo, can tell you that she knows her animal facts. And if there was any question of that, her book, <i>Pink Is for Blobfish</i>, pretty much shut down any doubters. Now she has an awesome biography of Eugenie Clark, and this book is a sure-fire new favorite in any library's collection. It has so much going for it. There is the character of Eugenie - with her keen interest in the ocean and its inhabitants. Her lifelong search for more answers and deeper understanding will resonate with young readers who have their own favorite topics. (You must know someone who can tell you the names of all the various dinosaurs, or the stats on all the characters in their favorite video game.)

The illustrations are another enticement to pick up the book and immerse yourself in the cool blues and greens of the underwater scenes. Or you may choose to laugh out loud at the spread showing Eugenie at the aquarium, pretending that she is walking along the sea bottom as she makes her way through the other visitors among the displays.

And then there are the "Shark Bites." These are extra tidbits of information in the back matter. They cover things mentioned in the book that would have broken the rhythm of the narrative to explain in too much detail, but that readers will probably be curious about. A timeline of Eugenie's life covers all the highlights and has illustrations of Dr. Clark and her beloved sharks to liven it up. And the author's note explains why Jess chose to write the biography and offers a short bibliography for those who would like to learn even more.

Altogether a fascinating story of an intrepid knowledge-seeker, beautiful illustrations, and great support material. Highly recommended for elementary school classrooms and libraries, and for young readers with an interest in sharks or oceanography.

This is a perfect example of a non-fiction picture book and it will fly off of my library shelves!

Enchanting book. I love the mix of fantasy and reality in the images and the way the pictures are composed. The story is great and the stern look of persistence on Eugenie's face says as much as the text. I liked that they covered a number of specific things she discovered. The extra matter in the back was also very extensive.

The story of a groundbreaking female zoologist who studied the animals most associated with unadulterated fear, sharks. It's difficult to imagine the audience that couldn't find something to love in this book. Maybe I'm just guessing, but Keating seems destined to be one of the next big names in the industry. Only a few years published and she already has a middle grade series under her belt, and now she's dabbling in nonfiction picture books that are easily on par with Meghan McCarthy, Don Brown, or Monica Kulling. This was engaging and interesting, with a well-written text and playful, bright illustrations. I'll certainly be adding this to my collection when it comes out.

What a wonderful book! It’s well-written with beautiful illustrations and will inspire girls everywhere to do what they want to do, not what other people tell them to do.

Jess Keating effortlessly tells the story of Eugenie Clark, the Shark Lady, in this illustrated biography meant for beginning readers. She keeps the story as simple and easy to understand as is possible. It is obvious that Eugenie was a very determined child that grew up to become an equally determined woman. I

Marta Alvarez Miguens did a fantastic job illustrating Shark Lady. There are lots of small details, such as a determined squint of Eugenie's eyes, which really add to the story being told. The colors are bold and bright, and the lines are sharp and clean.

The first 28 pages tell the story of Eugenie's early fascination with sharks and how it became the driving force in her life. After that, the book gives a small section called "Shark Bites" that gives little readers some cool facts about sharks. It wraps up with an illustrated timeline of Eugenie Clark's life.

Overall, it is a beautiful book that gives little girls another female scientist to look up to. Jess Keating and Marta Alvarez Miguens make a wonderful picture-book team, and The Shark Lady will be an asset to any library (home or otherwise) that picks it up.

I really enjoyed this book! I am a huge Jess Keating fan and always look forward to reading anything new that she writes. I'm not a big fan of biographies but this one kept my attention. I believe the kids in my library will like this and I hope it inspires many of them. I liked the info about sharks at the back of the book as well as Jess's info at the end. Oh, and my 3rd grader who was reading over my shoulder gives this 5 stars as well.

The incredible story of Eugenie Clark and her passion for sharks is a tale to tell to all children, especially young women! This book inspires the reader to learn more about what we don't know and pursue our dreams despite the obstacles we may face while providing plenty of fish puns that are "shore" to put a smile on your face. A must-add to all classroom libraries!

Very well done. This book is recommended for grades K to grade 3. It's a beautifully illustrated book about Eugenie Clark, who was nicknamed "the Shark Lady". I loved what the author had to say at the end of the book in the author's note and will add that here, because I feel it important and reflects my own beliefs.
"I wanted to tell Eugenie Clark's story for several reasons. As a scientist, Eugenie lived an incredible life full of hard work, passion, and undying curiosity. Through her legacy, she stood up for sharks, and in the process, stood up for herself. People assumed that sharks were evil and dumb. They also assumed that little girls shouldn't dream of swimming with them. On both accounts, she proved them wrong. Eugenie's life emphasizes how we must never let the world tell us what we can and can't do. It especially can't tell us how brave we will choose to be. I think this is a message important for young girls, boys - everyone - to hear. And perhaps more importantly, as a member of the human race, I think Eugenie's belief in protecting the earth's species-no matter how different they are from us-is needed now more than ever."

I couldn't agree more with this message.

The book gives the story with real life details and a timeline of events. Eugenie passed away in her home in the company of family on Feb. 25, 2015. I loved reading just before that ...Eugenie celebrated her 92nd birthday by scuba diving with a group of divers in Jordan and Israel.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a digital book to read in exchange for an honest review. I highly recommend it. Aged 4- to 94! Read it!!! You will be glad you did.

I am sorry to say I had never heard of Eugenia Clark, before this book. But, as I read how nothing kept her down, how she followed her dream, and became a scientist, even in those days when women were discouraged from doing so, I felt a great kinship with her. Like all great women, who were told no, she continued on in spite of what others said. What a wonderful story to make into a picture book.

I'm just going to repeat myself, but it is very important that girls see themselves in books, even in picture books. There are so many fine women out there whose stories could be insperiational for some child out there who wonders if it is all worth it.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Shark Lady by Jess Keating is a children's book about Eugenie Clark and how she became an ocean scientist.

We recently read another similar book about Eugenie Clark, but this one is even better. The story starts in her childhood and explains her love for sharks.

What makes this story so great is that everyone told her that her dreams weren't realistic and that she should do something else with her life. It's a good thing Eugenie was so strong willed and didn't believe what others told her. The negative information she was handed didn't stop her from following her dreams. Without much support, she moves on to become a successful scientist who makes new discoveries and studies sharks.

The illustrations are super colorful and interesting. There are even facts, a timeline, and author's note in the conclusion.

This is a wonderful children's book for schools, libraries, and homes.

5*****

Could be 5 stars if corrections are made.

In an era where promoting science, marine ecology, and female scientists is vital, this children's book is full of win! Eugenie Clark is a fabulous role model for young women in science and illustrates the fact that tenacity and persistence will take you far. Her great passion for marine science and especially for sharks is well conveyed by this book. Clark, who was called Shark Lady by colleagues, was the first scientist to look at sharks as intelligent and with far more capacity than simple marine dinosaur killing machines.

I'd give this book 5 stars if the publisher fixes what to me was a glaring error in a book on a marine scientist. (Show spoiler) [When Eugenie sets up her first fish tank the author and editor have her mixing guppies and coral-red snails (freshwater) and clown fish and Angel fish (saltwater) in the same tank! What a research failure! I'm hoping the publisher makes a last minute correction after pointing it out to them. If they do, I'll be upping my rating to 5 stars.]

Always looking forward to another title from Jess Keating and Shark Lady did not disappoint. Keating wove facts and storytelling together to create a fun and interesting read for students young and old. I have a student that loves the ocean but not reading and she was able to find joy in this book. It deepened her passions while igniting a love for reading. Can't wait to share Shark Lady with more learners.

An enticing introduction into the work of Eugenie Clark, who pursued her early passion for sharks into her adult career as a scientist. While highlighting Clark's drive, the author also manages to include information about her discoveries, books, and journal articles. The illustrations are colorful and often humorous as Eugenie is never far away from sharks--even in the library! That is, she always has sharks on her mind. This is a fine choice for young readers interested in science, scientists, and women who push the boundaries of current knowledge.