Sharks in Kansas
The Ancient Sea in the Middle of America
by Melissa Stewart
illus by Becca Stadtlander
Random House Studio, 2026
for ages 6 to 10
ISBN 978–0‑59390–471‑8
Purchase this book at your local independent bookseller or Amazon.com.
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 a watery world called the Western Interior Seaway. At the water’s surface, mighty mosasaurs attacked flightless birds bobbing on the waves. Deeper down, turtles the size of a small car fed on fish and ammonites. But the most ferocious hunters were the sharks. More than a dozen species cruised through the ancient sea in search of prey, and when they spotted a target … Chomp!
Journey into the past for a fascinating look at the incredible cast of creatures that once lived where we live now.
From the Book
Honors and Awards
- Bank Street College Best Children’s Bk of the Year, Science
Reviews
“travel 85 million years back in time to [meet] a menagerie of prehistoric creatures that should make dinosaur enthusiasts’ hearts beat a little faster: across these pages, a pteranodon glides above the waters, a mosasaur has a standoff with a massive shark, and clams “bigger than wheelbarrows” feed other giant creatures. Like the documentarian text, stately, mural-like gouache artwork … honors curiosity, and fact boxes and pronunciation guides appear along the margins for young paleontologists who are all about stats. As the water recedes, unlucky animals become trapped and fossilized, and the book shifts to the present day, where traces of the water body and its inhabitants turn up at Colorado’s Dinosaur Ridge, Kansas’s Monument Rocks, and in farm fields across the continent’s center. It’s a smartly structured deep dive that brings a long-gone water body vividly into the modern age.” (Publishers Weekly)
“envision the rolling farmlands of Kansas as they were 85 million years ago — a rolling stretch of ocean, now identified as the Western Interior Seaway, running between the continents of “Appalachia” to the east and “Laramidia” to the west. The waters teem with extinct creatures in the illustrations, from reptilian Pteranodons and feathered Hesperornis to wheelbarrow-sized clams, tentacled Ammonites, and toothy Mosasaurs lurking in the deep. The stars of the show, though, are the sharks, which come in a variety of strange shapes [and sizes]. The author closes with an explanation of the geologic processes that caused the seawater first to pour in, then to drain away 60-or-so million years ago, leaving only fossils and fossil formations [as] evidence of a once thriving watery habitat. An inviting plunge into the deep past.” (Booklist)
“This thoughtfully crafted picture book for young dinosaur enthusiasts is an impressive feat of early elementary nonfiction.” (School Library Journal)
“Stewart brings her characteristic clarity to this surprising history, tracing the story of the Western Interior Seaway, which covered what is now the Great Plains 85 million years ago. The text moves logically, from the intriguing hook that the opens the book (“Sharks in Kansas? Seems impossible, right?”) to discussions of the vanished seaway, introducing creatures through both narrative prose and brief, well-organized fact boxes that effectively balance scientific detail with accessible language. … Stadtlander’s cool blues and warm greens ground the prehistoric scenes in a naturalistic palette that feels both scientifically credible and visually immersive. A solid, well-illustrated introduction to prehistoric North America.” (Kirkus Reviews)
“A fascinating peek into the ancient geographical history of Kansas.” (KIDSBookshelf)
“Well paced text, lovely illustrations, and lots of fun facts. … Highly readable.” (My Storytime Corner)
“A spectacular introduction to the prehistoric land and life found in North America, Stewart’s text is informative and inviting, encouraging interest and further research from start to finish. The narrative brings to life the Western Interior Seaway and all of its inhabitants, while sidebars provide additional facts about the various species. Stadtlander’s marvelous gouache artwork is rich and textured, transporting readers back through the millennia. … An exemplary addition to any personal, public, or classroom library.” (Olivia the Librarian)
“This is a versatile book; it can be read aloud in a dinosaur or prehistoric animal storytime with preschool or elementary kids. It could also fit into a juvenile nonfiction collection and catch the interest of young fossil, prehistory, and dinosaur fans, especially those interested in prehistoric reptiles and underwater creatures. … A must-have for public and school library collections, this will be of interest to a wide audience.” (Flying Off My Bookshelf)
“With easy-to-understand text, this fact filled book is sure to delight kids of all ages while learning about Earth’s former inhabitants. I also recommend this as a resource for teachers / homeschool parents for STEAM-based lesson planning.” (Gram’s Garden Little Free Library)
Behind the Book
“As I was writing the book Mega-Predators of the Past, I was astonished to learn about Archelon — a prehistoric sea turtle the size of a small car. But what was even more amazing than the turtle’s supersize is where it lived — smack dab in the middle of the North American continent.
“Up until that moment, I’d never heard of the Western Interior Seaway, and I had no idea that the land we now call the Great Plains had once been covered by an ancient ocean. I had to know more, and once I discovered the incredible cast of creatures that called the seaway home (including a dozen different kinds of sharks), I knew I had to write a book about how the seaway formed and how it changed over time. “
by Melissa Stewart
illus by Becca Stadtlander
Random House Studio, 2026
for ages 6 to 10
ISBN 978–0‑59390–471‑8
Purchase this book at your local independent bookseller or Amazon.com.
Book Extensions
VIDEO: THE STORY BEHIND THE BOOK