Shark Lady: The True Story of How Eugenie Clark Became the Ocean's Most Fearless Scientist

Written by Jess Keating

Illustrated by Marta Álvarez Miguéns

Sourcebooks Jabberwocky

978-1-4926-4204-6

40 pp.

Ages 4+

June 2017

Eugenie Clark was born in 1922 and many, including her university instructors, probably believed she should have become a teacher or a secretary or something else deemed an appropriate occupation for the time.  Thank goodness she followed her heart and applied astounding determination to getting her education and pursuing her interest in sharks, helping her become the scientist she did. And thank goodness for Jess Keating who has brought Eugenie Clark's story to young readers so that they may learn and take example from this impressive role-model of a scientist.

From Shark Lady 

by Jess Keating 

illus. by Marta Álvarez Miguéns

As a child, Eugenie Clark adored going to the aquarium and watching her favourite animals, the sharks.  She was compelled into learning all she could about them through books, though a gift of an aquarium from her mother gave her a chance to create an underwater world of her own, ripe for the study of other aquatic organisms. 

From Shark Lady 

by Jess Keating

 illus. by Marta Álvarez Miguéns 

Eugenie pursued studies at college, and, though many tried to dissuade her, she earned her Bachelor's and Master's degrees as well as her doctorate in zoology, and began her research career.  Through an illustrious career of discovering new species, diving in open oceans to experience her first encounters with sharks and training sharks, Eugenie Clark worked tirelessly to dispel countless myths about sharks and educate and protect the animals she loved so.

Author Jess Keating, a zoologist herself, comes from a place of knowledge, appreciation and empathy, allowing her to create an intelligent biography of Eugenie Clark.  We already know that, whether Jess Keating applies her zoological training and expertise to middle-grade fiction (How to Outrun a Crocodile When Your Shoes are Tied; How to Outswim a Shark Without a Snorkel; How to Outfox Your Friends When You Don't Have a Clue) or children's non-fiction (Pink is for Blobfish), she knows what kids want to read about and she gives it to them in her entertaining and insightful writing. Shark Lady is her first illustrated biography, here of a courageous and determined American woman of science, whose story Jess Keating strengthens with two appendices, one about sharks that she calls "Shark Bites" and the other an infographic timeline of Eugenie Clark's life from birth in 1922 to her death in 2015. (My images below are only partial scans of both these components.)

From Shark Lady

by Jess Keating 

illus. by Marta Álvarez Miguéns

Illustrated in the bright, bold artwork of Spanish artist Marta Álvarez Miguéns,  Shark Lady both inspires and entertains with a story, albeit one based in facts, of a young girl's dedication to pursuing her personal interest in sharks and converting that into an extraordinary scientific career, while still cultivating an interest in learning more about Eugenie Clark and sharks.  It's a fabulous read that will have many a child rousing a parent or guardian for a visit to a local aquarium.  Indulge yourselves and go.  There may be another Eugenie Clark just waiting for the opportunity to dive into learning more.