The Great White Shark Scientist by Sy Montgomery
Photos by Keith Ellenbogen
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The Great
White Shark Scientist from the Scientist in the Field series presents an
interesting perspective on the study of the Great White Sharks. Following the
work of Greg Smokel, a biologist, Sy Montgomery does a great job at narratively
presenting their six-month quest to follow Great Whites in Massachusetts and
Mexico. Recognizing that this is a chronicle of the journey of studying the
sharks and scientists and his team studying them is an important detail to
avoid disappointment in not reading about sharks. This is less about Great
Whites and dives into the day-to-day work of how a group of scientists follows
sharks to collect information and understand how they live and survive.
Montgomery's
narrative captures readers and keeps them interested in following the
"story" of what Greg Smokel is doing while providing a great deal of
information on how, why, where, and when of the sharks they are studying.
Readers are given an interesting perspective on the work being done providing
information in an engaging way that could appeal to middle-aged readers and
possibly even younger children as a read-aloud. I’d venture to even think most
adults would find interest.
The Great
White Shark Scientist doesn't skimp on the factual content but also
doesn't read like a text full of facts that can become static and boring.
Pausing within the narrative to give important information about sharks,
specifics of tagging them, and being "shark smart", Montgomery provides
a great balance of presenting an informational narrative and factual text.
The narratives come alive with photographs that provide visuals of Greg, the
tools he uses, and the places the scientists are visiting. Even someone with
minimal understanding of Great Whites can enjoy the "story" and learn
something from this presentation by Montgomery, that almost lets the reader
forget they are reading an informational text.
Sy Montgomery’s addition to the Scientist in the Field Series is a great way to introduce readers to the work of a marine biologist studying sharks. She provides additional resources about the groups and information discussed in her narrative giving readers a place to look further into things that interested them while reading, and maps of the pins where sharks were tracked. The Great White Shark Scientist is an informational text that can also be used as a source for research or a great interest read for pleasure.
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