What did North America look like 85 million years ago? We shared a book about there being rhinos in Nebraska 12 million years ago. However, 85 million years ago there was a sea going through the center of North America. Today we share a picture book that shares about the various animals that lived in central North America 85 million years ago as well as what happened to them and how we know. The book is Sharks in Kansas by Melissa Stewart and illustrated by Becca Stadtlander. The book is recommended for ages 4 to 8. And it is out just in time for Shark Week later in July!
About the Book:
Sharks in Kansas? Yes, it's true! Take a fascinating journey back 85 million years to a time when Kansas was submerged under a vast ocean teeming with incredible prehistoric sharks.Sharks in Kansas? Seems impossible, right? After all, Kansas is smack dab in the middle of the United States—more than 1,000 miles from the closest ocean. But the world hasn’t always looked the way it does today.
Once upon a time, 85 million years ago, the middle of America was submerged in water--and incredible creatures roamed the sea. On a typical afternoon, a small herd of Claosaurus munches on plants along the shoreline. Above them, a Pteranodon glides across the sky in search of fish... when, suddenly, a Squalicorax grabs a young dinosaur with its bone-crunching bite. Chomp!
From the flightless bird Hesperonis to the mighty Tylosaurus, here is a fascinating look at many kids' favorite creatures and the mysteries of an ancient ocean.
From Me:
This book is so interesting and informative. It starts with the idea of sharks in Kansas. It shares what Kansas is currently like and then it shares about the fossils and other things found in Kansas that tells the story of 85 million years ago. The book shares a picture of the globe as it was back then and then it takes the reader on a time traveling journey to meet some of the animals that roamed North America back then. There are dinosaurs, sharks, and more! Each animal is named, and then on the side of the page there is a pronunciation guide, class, group, size, weight, diet or prey and predators. It has a story of the animals roaming and attacking. It shares how the animal world truly works. It also talks about the world changing as the plates shift and how a land bridge eventually forms cutting off the southern part of the sea. The water animals had to go north into the Arctic and some did not survive.
