dixiet's review
4.0
I'm giving this four stars for the great illustrations (I love Matt Sewell's style) and the interesting text. But there are several odd mistakes that should have been found and corrected. Megacerops is listed at 8'3 tall and 100' long - yikes! a rhino-millipede? Actually it was 16' long (whew). Megalania, the giant Australian lizard, was not poisonous (would you die if you ate it?) but venomous. Gigantopithecus was a great ape, not a "breat" ape. A new edition is needed, please, with better editing and/or fact-checking.
kailey_luminouslibro's review
3.0
This beautifully illustrated book teaches about extinct animals from the ancient past. There are no monstrous lizards or dinosaurs in this book. This is all about other types of mammals, birds, and sea creatures who once roamed the earth. Some are familiar to us, like the woolly mammoth and the sabre-toothed tiger, but most are impressively rare and wild-looking.
The illustrations are soft and colorful, with a gentle and silky style. But I wish there were more detail in the illustrations, and I wish that there were more drawings of each animal. It would have been interesting to compare the bone structure of fossils to the artist's rendition of fur, feathers, and scales. It is very beautiful, but I was hoping for more detail.
As always with these sort of scientific books, I'm put off by the assumption of theories and dates that have not been proven. The author writes about millions of years, as though those dates were established scientific fact. The theory of evolution is also discussed as though it were fact and not theory. It makes me lose confidence in the veracity of the writing when ideas that are not proven are written about as if they were true.
I really love the structure of the book. It has thick pages and rich coloring, with beautiful end papers. This would make a gorgeous gift!
I feel like this would be a good starting point for a child or teen interested in extinct species, so that they could then go on and do some further research. There's not a lot of information in this book, and it leaves me hungry for more material on this subject. It definitely sparks my interest with the wonderful illustrations!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher via Media Masters Publicity in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
The illustrations are soft and colorful, with a gentle and silky style. But I wish there were more detail in the illustrations, and I wish that there were more drawings of each animal. It would have been interesting to compare the bone structure of fossils to the artist's rendition of fur, feathers, and scales. It is very beautiful, but I was hoping for more detail.
As always with these sort of scientific books, I'm put off by the assumption of theories and dates that have not been proven. The author writes about millions of years, as though those dates were established scientific fact. The theory of evolution is also discussed as though it were fact and not theory. It makes me lose confidence in the veracity of the writing when ideas that are not proven are written about as if they were true.
I really love the structure of the book. It has thick pages and rich coloring, with beautiful end papers. This would make a gorgeous gift!
I feel like this would be a good starting point for a child or teen interested in extinct species, so that they could then go on and do some further research. There's not a lot of information in this book, and it leaves me hungry for more material on this subject. It definitely sparks my interest with the wonderful illustrations!
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher via Media Masters Publicity in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.
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