Review - If Sharks Disappeared

If Sharks Disappeared
by Lily Williams
Date: 2017
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book non-fiction
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

A healthy ocean is home to many different kinds of animals. They can be
big, like a whale,
tiny, like a shrimp,
and even scary, like a shark.

Even though sharks can be scary, we need them to keep the oceans healthy. Unfortunately, due to overfishing, many shark species are in danger of extinction, and that can cause big problems in the oceans and even on land.

What would happen if this continued and sharks disappeared completely?

Artist Lily Williams explores how the disappearance would affect other animals across the whole planet in this clever book about the importance of keeping sharks, and our oceans, healthy.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This picture book is a little heavy on the facts, so it would probably be best suited to older kids. Some of the terms used will be unfamiliar, and although there's a glossary, the text might still be too advanced for younger readers.

There are plenty of facts presented, as well as speculation about what would happen if sharks disappeared. It isn't pretty. Sadly, we're well on our way to making that future happen. The book tells us if we "work together", we can fix the problem. I sat there for a while thinking, "How?!" until I got to the next few pages that actually give some suggestions. As a vegan, I feel that these suggestions don't go far enough. Not buying shark products is probably the only suggestion that's going to have any effect. Trying to buy sustainably caught fish doesn't go far enough. The fact is that humans don't need to be eating fish--especially in the quantities we're currently consuming. In the developed world, we have access to plenty of other healthy, nutritious foods... and yet we're taking fish and other seafood away from animals who have no choice in what they eat. (Currently, near where I live, the small pod of local resident killer whales is on the verge of extinction because there isn't enough salmon for them to eat. You'd think that we--with all of our knowledge and supposed compassion--would put an immediate end to salmon fishing for human consumption. But, no. We're unwilling to change our diets--even though we can--and another species is going to pay the price because they can't.)

The pictures are lovely and the text is clear and concise, but I don't think the suggestions go far enough. If we really want to take care of our oceans and the creatures who live in them, yes, it is up to us. But we can do more than just avoid shark products if we want to save sharks. As the book says, everything is connected... so we humans can have a huge impact, if we can only find the will.

Premise: 3/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 4/5
Originality: 4/5

Enjoyment: 2/5

Overall: 3 out of 5