It’s hard to imagine sharks living in Kansas, which sits near the center geographically of the U.S. and far from an ocean. But if you go back far enough, like 85 million years ago, an interior seaway separated North America into two land masses.

Melissa Stewart’s picture book, Sharks in Kansas: The Ancient Sea in the Middle of America, introduces curious children to a time when dinosaurs, pterosaurs, mosasaurs, and yes, sharks, roamed freely in the area. Each page, colorfully illustrated by Becca Stadtlander, features a scene from back then. A herd of Claosaurus strolls along a beach. A Squalicorax (shark) swims beneath the water’s surface.

Each page also includes the scientific names for the creatures who lived at this time, which will appeal to kids who love to learn about the world through nonfiction. At the end readers find an illustrated explanation of how the Western Interior Seaway came to be created and how it disappeared. Also, readers will find suggestions for reading more.

The publisher provided me with a copy of this book for review.