Step 3), Hungry Sharks (Step-Into-Reading, Hungry

I actually purchased this book for my husband as an inside joke. We had seen it in an eclectic children's store in Santa Barbara and found one particular part very funny: it tells readers that though sharks are dangerous, not to worry because you're more likely to be killed by a bee sting. We thought that was brilliant for a children's early reader. Who are the people publishing these things? I had to give it a 3 because of what other people say about the information being factual and all that. But seriously?

I expected a higher quality and was very dismayed to see a persons last name printed right on the front cover! "Simmons". It says. Ordered
This book as a gift so think what I received was expensive! Deb Gore

When I was working as an elementary school librarian, I purchased this book to go along with some of our Baba Yaga stories. The students loved this book. I will admit that I have always been very fond of Baba Yaga, too, from the time some of her stories were pubished in Jack and Jill magazine when I was very young. I believe my love of Baba Yaga aka Bony-Legs transferred over to some of my students. This was a most popular book with my children both at home and at school.

I prefer this scary book over other scary books. To begin with, it had a great message to care for others. Next, I liked that it was a mystery when the cat and dog gave Sasha a comb and mirror for when she was in trouble. Lastly, I got the heebie jeebies when creepy Bony Legs was chasing Sasha through the forest. All in all, this book was horrifying and I recommend it to 2nd grade and up.

My youngest child has been afraid of the dark, strange noises, and the unknown for a long long time. At age 6 he discovered this book, and read it again and again.
This surprised me at first - it's a lot like Hansel and Gretel but for a small child, boy or girl, who is dealing with the scariness of the real world, Bony-Legs is a story that's scary but encouraging. What goes around will come around, is the message this book gives.
Sasha's aunt (her mother never would have done such a thing!) sends her to Bony-Leg's house in the woods to fetch a needle and thread.
Along the way, Sasha is kind to a hungry cat and a skinny dog, feeding them her lunch. She greases a creaking gate at the entrance to Bony-Leg's cottage.
"Poor gate," said Sasha, "You need some grease."
Once she gets to Bony-Leg's, she's locked in the bathroom, told to get nice and clean so Bony-Legs can eat her up. The cat, the dog she fed on her way to Bony-Leg's give her a mirror, a wooden comb and let her escape without a mew or a bark. The kindly oiled gate lets her out without a squeak.
With the help of these others, and the use of her own cleverness in figuring out how to use the mirror and the comb, Sasha escapes. And Bony-Legs - well, you'll have to read the story to find out all the details!
An enjoyable, short read filled with color pictures and a kind child's cleverness.

By Jacket

Sharks are an old and interesting animal. They have lived on Earth over 65 milions years. There are many kinds of sharks, some are as big as a bus, and some are smaller than your hand. They also have some strange actions. For example, they will follow a ship for trash. In fact, the scientists found wallets, bottles of wine and fur coats in their stomach.
People like to ask is if sharks eat people. The answer is ‘yes’. Actually, they eat fish, seals, crabs and whales. Sometimes they will eat each other when they get hurt and lose blood in the ocean.
Although sharks sound like the king of the sea, they cannot escape humen hands. More and more sharks are killed for their fins and meat. That is not good for the environment and us because they would become extinct. Everything would change a lot if we keep doing this.

This reader on sharks will be very entertaining for young readers. The large type will help children in their reading. While most pages have one to four short sentences, a few pages have as many as eight sentences. The book looks at the origin of sharks with dinosaurs, the various sizes of shark species, the pack hunting of blue sharks, and the dangers of the great white shark. There are a couple pages of illustrations of various types of shark with winning illustrations. Looking at the hammerhead shark, the author shows how some animals such as dolphins defend themselves from shark attacks. Finally, there is a bit on what items have been found in sharks, fishing for sharks, and the research around the habits of sharks. Patricia Wynne's bright and colorful illustrations will surely add to the entertainment of this didactic book.

This is an excellent book for the budding oceanographer (or the beginning reader). It realistically shows the shark as predator (some of the pictures show sea animals being eaten by sharks, but the illustrations will probably not be upsetting for most), and as victim of the smarter, more teamwork-oriented dolphins. The book does a great job of reporting interesting shark facts; for example, there are more than 300 types of sharks, the dwarf shark is no bigger than a hand, a barrel of nails was once found in a shark's belly, etc. 47 pages long, the publisher recommends it for readers in grades 1-3. A good beginner book.

My kindergartner loves reading this book....it is just the right level for him for a quick half-hour read before bed. He can read it alone but might have a question or two about a word. The pictures are great and I like how they don't mince facts. It didn't bother him at all as he is a science-y kid who also loves dinosaurs. I might have been bothered by it when I was a kid but I was much more sensitive about things. I guess it depends on the kid.

My son, a college sophomore these days, made me read this book to him so many times when he was little that I can still recite some of it by heart. Beyond the wonderful illustrations and fascinating facts about sharks, this book has a very playful way with language that immediately captures a young reader�s attention. If you have any little oceanographers at home, or even if you are simply trying to get some wiggling, non-scientific, prodigies to calm down and get ready for bed, by all means, pick this one up. Your kids will love you for it.

My son, a college sophomore these days, made me read this book to him so many times when he was little that I can still recite some of it by heart. Beyond the wonderful illustrations and fascinating facts about sharks, this book has a very playful way with language that immediately captures a young reader�s attention. If you have any little oceanographers at home, or even if you are simply trying to get some wiggling, non-scientific, prodigies to calm down and get ready for bed, by all means, pick this one up. Your kids will love you for it.

I really enjoy using the Step-Into-Reading books with my remedial reading students. They really help ease reluctant readers into reading novels, and this book is no exception. This is an easy reader that is not a (in the words of one of my students) "sissy fairy tale book," which boys and girls both love. The anecdotes about shark encounters and illustrations are appealing to all, including this shark-loving teacher. This book is not graphic or gory, so comparison to scary sharks (such as Jaws) is not immediately made by kids.

The book Hungry Hungry Sharks by Joanna Cole is a good book if you like sharks and you want to find out what they eat or how they live. This would be the book that you would want to read to find those things plus you can find lots more about sharks than what I listed above.

"Hungry, Hungry Sharks" was one of the first shark books I bought as a child. Now, as a teacher, I still use this book to provide some factual information to my students. The words are simple enough for a primary student to read, and the illustrations justify the reading. The information in the story is factual, and children love hearing about the sharks. It's a good book.

This book is wonderful. Very informational, and wonderful illustrations. This book holds a special place in my heart. One of the first books my dad ever ordered for me in 1986 from troll books, think i was in first grade at P.S. 33 in queens, NY. Loved the older covet better though :)

This book by the Magic School Bus author is really fun to read. It is a russian fairy tale of a witch named Bony Legs who likes to eat children. The story is about a little girl who escapes because of all the good deeds she has done to help others -- a cat, a dog and a gate. My kids (5 and 3 years) really enjoyed it.

Why oh why oh why hasn't Scholastic republished this most wonderful book? Does anybody know? Libraries can't replace their copies and I can't afford $70 or more for a good quality copy. This is a great loss for children.

My mom bought me this book at an Elementary School book fair. My three year old asks to be read this book almost every night. He giggles everytime the witch "stamps her feet, pulls her hair and pinches her nose".

Hungry, Hungry Sharks has too much sketchy information in it for me to be comfortable reading it to my children. Sure, lots of the facts are spot on. But too many of them are based on conjecture. For example, "even a swordfish almost always loses a fight with a great white shark." I have never heard of a white shark being observed consuming a swordfish. That is not to say that it doesn't happen, but I don't think there is enough evidence for the author to make such a statement. If you find this a bit nitpicky, fine, I am a nitpicker. But consider the final sentence of this book: "As long as there are oceans, there will be sharks." This God-like prediction is irresponsible (even for a book written in 1986) given that many shark species may be moving toward extinction. The best lesson your kids can get from this book is that you can't believe everything you read. I am not even going to take this book to the thrift store...I am throwing it away...