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Sharks: A Mighty Bite-y History
A Mighty Bite-y History is an epic, oversize nonfiction picture book in the vein of A Honeyed History —all about sharks and their prehistoric predecessors.
Sharks are some of the oldest creatures on the earth (or, rather, in its waters). This epic survey follows sharks from their earliest appearance in the Paleozoic era up through the challenges they face today.
Along the way, readers will meet many different sharks from different points in history. They will get an up-close evolutionary look at what makes a shark a shark—like their skin, their teeth, their fins, and more. And they will get a crash course in archeological time, as the book mostly covers prehistoric sharks or modern-day sharks who have been around much longer than humans. Like the hammerhead, who has been patrolling tropical coastlines for more than 20 million years!
With lush illustrations from Gordy Wright and meticulous research from author Miriam Forster, A Mighty, Bite-y History is sure to delight shark lovers, science fans, and any reader who loves to discover new wonders about the world around them.
Sharks are some of the oldest creatures on the earth (or, rather, in its waters). This epic survey follows sharks from their earliest appearance in the Paleozoic era up through the challenges they face today.
Along the way, readers will meet many different sharks from different points in history. They will get an up-close evolutionary look at what makes a shark a shark—like their skin, their teeth, their fins, and more. And they will get a crash course in archeological time, as the book mostly covers prehistoric sharks or modern-day sharks who have been around much longer than humans. Like the hammerhead, who has been patrolling tropical coastlines for more than 20 million years!
With lush illustrations from Gordy Wright and meticulous research from author Miriam Forster, A Mighty, Bite-y History is sure to delight shark lovers, science fans, and any reader who loves to discover new wonders about the world around them.
80 pages, Hardcover
Published May 10, 2022
2 people are currently reading
54 people want to read
About the author
Miriam Forster
5 books299 followers(Hello friends and readers! I am not here, but you can contact me on my website)
Miriam Forster is an autistic author who loves science, history, and animals, especially the weird prehistoric ones. She’s been a waiter, a barista, a daycare worker, a bookseller, and she is currently an author of young adult fiction, and a fact checker for children’s books.
Forster lives in Oregon and is represented by Jennifer Laughran of the Andrea Brown Agency
Miriam Forster is an autistic author who loves science, history, and animals, especially the weird prehistoric ones. She’s been a waiter, a barista, a daycare worker, a bookseller, and she is currently an author of young adult fiction, and a fact checker for children’s books.
Forster lives in Oregon and is represented by Jennifer Laughran of the Andrea Brown Agency
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
December 19, 2021
Honestly this book is gorgeous and my illustrator's art is worth the read alone.
July 21, 2025
I learned so much about sharks, especially prehistoric ones! Yay!
April 17, 2022
Sharks in some form or other have been on this planet for more than 450 million years, and they remain one of the most fascinating of species. The clever title of this book identifies its content perfectly since it is, indeed, a history of sharks from the Devonian period to the present-day Quaternary period. The book is an oversize one, which suits its topic well, and readers will be able to refer to the timelines that appear periodically on its pages as they learn about the creatures that preceded today's modern sharks, allowing readers to compare and contrast the early sharks with modern ones. There are text boxes detailing the animals' size, habitat, what part of the world it was found in, and preferred foods. A Toolbox feature identifies some of the attributes of sharks that have allowed them to thrive while other animals died out, including their shape, their skin, their cartilage, their teeth, and their jaws as well as information about shark nurseries and how some sharks are actually quite social. There is even a discussion about how scientists study sharks and what they can learn from teeth, fossils, and even their poop. All of this is fascinating and will provide tidbits that readers will want to share with others. Even someone who has read many books about sharks will find something new in this book, which evokes a sense of wonder and respect for this long-lived species that is so often misunderstood by humans. And there are so many different types of sharks to examine: My personal favorite has always been the oddly-shaped hammerheads. This well-designed book contains impressively detailed illustrations, painted with gouache, scanned, and then organized digitally. These images fill up entire pages and three-quarters of the double-page spreads and situate the sharks in their natural habitats. Readers will find it hard to look away from the artwork since the illustrations make readers feel as though they are staring at the various sharks through a glass pane or a submersible. This one is a must-have for any science classroom studying the ocean and its inhabitants or someone looking for a book sure to lure in even the most jaded of young readers.
May 11, 2022
Sharks have always been some of my favorite animals. They are so varied, and so fascinating. I find it so sad that they are as feared and misunderstood as they are. Not that those who have been attacked don't have the right to fear them, or be angry, it's just a shame that they are so endangered.
This book discussed many different varieties of sharks, beginning in the prehistoric period, and going up through today. Each shark talked about had a two page spread devoted to it. The following pages were called Toolbox, and they talked about specific things like shark skin, or shark nurseries. It really went in depth into the topic, for example, explaining the makeup of shark skin and how it aids the shark. In between were sections on various eras, and periods throughout history.
Some of my favorite sharks discussed were:
Bandringa - It lived primarily in freshwater, but laid it's eggs in the ocean. It was alive about 300 million years ago.
Orthacanthus - This looked more like a long eel than a shark! It has fierce looking teeth, and it also lived in freshwater.
Helicoprion - This shark had a spiral of teeth running down the middle of it's mouth, like the blade of a saw.
Megalodon - My all time favorite shark! I just have always found this gigantic creature fascinating for his size and abilities.
The book progressed chronologically through the eras the Earth underwent. As it did it told the sharks story, through extinction and survival and to how it is fairing today. It also explained about other creatures who lived during the various eras that sharks did, and how those creatures affected not only the oceans, but the sharks themselves.
If you like sharks, or oceanic history, try this book.
This book discussed many different varieties of sharks, beginning in the prehistoric period, and going up through today. Each shark talked about had a two page spread devoted to it. The following pages were called Toolbox, and they talked about specific things like shark skin, or shark nurseries. It really went in depth into the topic, for example, explaining the makeup of shark skin and how it aids the shark. In between were sections on various eras, and periods throughout history.
Some of my favorite sharks discussed were:
Bandringa - It lived primarily in freshwater, but laid it's eggs in the ocean. It was alive about 300 million years ago.
Orthacanthus - This looked more like a long eel than a shark! It has fierce looking teeth, and it also lived in freshwater.
Helicoprion - This shark had a spiral of teeth running down the middle of it's mouth, like the blade of a saw.
Megalodon - My all time favorite shark! I just have always found this gigantic creature fascinating for his size and abilities.
The book progressed chronologically through the eras the Earth underwent. As it did it told the sharks story, through extinction and survival and to how it is fairing today. It also explained about other creatures who lived during the various eras that sharks did, and how those creatures affected not only the oceans, but the sharks themselves.
If you like sharks, or oceanic history, try this book.
January 30, 2024
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A fascinating read filled with interesting facts, gorgeous art, and a passion for science. I love that the book forces on the history of sharks. It was so cool to learn about the different extinction events and how shark-like animals have changed over time. This goes beyond your basic shark book.
Throughout are breakout sections that cover different features of sharks such as their teeth, skin, shape, and senses as well as profiles of specific prehistoric and modern sharks. Forster covers plenty of less popular sharks like wobbegong sharks, sawsharks, and Greenland sharks along with the usual hammerheads and whale sharks.
The text was kid-friendly and fascinating, working in interesting facts and bits of humor.
Loved the oversized style of the book. The artwork is so wonderful and having huge pages really brought out all the details. The text is also fairly large, which worked well.
At the back are tips on how to help sharks as well as a list of resources used.
A fantastic book, perfect for those interested in sharks, prehistory, marine life, and science in general.
A fascinating read filled with interesting facts, gorgeous art, and a passion for science. I love that the book forces on the history of sharks. It was so cool to learn about the different extinction events and how shark-like animals have changed over time. This goes beyond your basic shark book.
Throughout are breakout sections that cover different features of sharks such as their teeth, skin, shape, and senses as well as profiles of specific prehistoric and modern sharks. Forster covers plenty of less popular sharks like wobbegong sharks, sawsharks, and Greenland sharks along with the usual hammerheads and whale sharks.
The text was kid-friendly and fascinating, working in interesting facts and bits of humor.
Loved the oversized style of the book. The artwork is so wonderful and having huge pages really brought out all the details. The text is also fairly large, which worked well.
At the back are tips on how to help sharks as well as a list of resources used.
A fantastic book, perfect for those interested in sharks, prehistory, marine life, and science in general.
July 23, 2024
Wow! This book has lots of information and is not one to be read in one sitting in my opinion. This might be a good book to have in the car for a road trip, where the reader(s) can look at it for a while but put it down when they get bored and come back to it later. If you or your little one are only a little interested in sharks, this might not be the book for you; this one is for shark super-enthusiasts only!
August 23, 2022
This oversized book looks at the history of sharks from their existence before dinosaurs to today. Gorgeous illustrations and fact-filled descriptions provide the reader with facts about the different species and an understanding of their role in the ecosystem.
May 27, 2022
A lot of information is in this book. They are broken down into eras and groups of sharks with a similar characteristic.
July 7, 2022
ABSOLUTELY EXCELLENT.
May 13, 2024
Great way to learn a lot about prehistoric sharks as well as just general prehistoric facts. Wonderful art and perfect amount of information on the page so as not to be an overload.
December 3, 2024
What a fun, accessible read for ocean lovers and shark fans. I loved the mixture of science and humor.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews