Gr. 4-7. Noting that "no other animal has had so much written about it based on so few facts," Cerullo examines what is known about sharks, using many photos and trendy graphics. Topics covered include physical characteristics, behaviors, feeding habits, the difficulties of studying sharks, and the potential to provide medical benefits for humans. The underwater photos, by Jeffrey L. Rotman, are fascinating, especially the three-page foldout. Cerullo consistently downplays shark attacks (a sidebar suggests man-biters as a more apt description than man-eaters), though she admits that victims often bleed to death, and there are some gruesome photos of attack survivors. Despite the picture-book format, bright colors, and Michael Wertz' fluorescent, childlike line drawings of smiling kids and cute sharks dotting photos and pages, the complex sentences are more appropriate for older readers. A list of conservation groups, a glossary, and a bibliography with three titles for young readers and four for adults are appended. (Reviewed April 1, 2000)¾: Shelle Rosenfeld.