Sharks Are Nice Too! Nonfiction Book Review: Please Be Nice to Sharks by Matt Weiss

Title: Please Be Nice to Sharks
Author: Matt Weiss

Meet 14 cool sharks (and one manta ray) and see why it's important to BE NICE TO SHARKS! Though they’re often portrayed as vicious man-eaters, sharks actually kill fewer than 10 people per year. Yet those myths cause real harm: many species are being hunted to extinction, with as many as 100-200 million sharks being killed each year. This humorous book humanizes the incredible shark through breathtaking, original, underwater photography along with incredible facts about these amazing creatures in the wild—sending kids a crucial message about conservation in an irresistible format.

We all hear the stories about sharks in the news and of course there is the movie Jaws.  How could we not think that sharks are mean scary creatures.  This book sets out to make you think differently.  When I first saw it I thought of the whole scene in Finding Nemo with the sharks saying "Fish are friends not food."  Those sharks were trying to do the same thing!  I found this book cute and informative.  Each shark tells about himself and then gives reasons why they can't be bad, so you should be nice to him.  Usually they were based on parts of their physical features.  It really did teach facts about sharks, and each one was kind of silly so I did think that yes there was no reason to be scared of that type of shark.  

I can see kids really getting a kick out of this book because it is factual but funny at the same time.  My 9 year old son liked it finding it full of new information.  He also thought it was silly that each shark was telling why you should be nice to it.  

I also need to comment on the photography of the sharks.  Very well done! I loved that they gave good clear real pictures of each shark.  So not only was the reader learning about each, they were also given a nice visual.  Really added to the book.  

Over-all a fun factual book that I would definitely include in my media center.  And if you have an child that loves nonfiction I encourage you to check this out.