Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 2-5. The Carboniferous and Permian eras that ended the Paleozoic period (250 million years ago) are presented with verve and humor that don't shortchange the young natural historian's quest for good explanations of the earth's distant past. In spite of the book's subtitle, there's plenty of text. Cartoons are lightly sprinkled throughout an otherwise more traditionally illustrated narrative, but the formats are blended well to provide appropriately factual and hyperbolic information. Descriptions of evolving animal life, climate changes, continental drift, and the formation of elements such as carbon as a natural part of the vegetative life cycle unfold coherently. The use of age-appropriate appendixes (a chart designed to help children keep the vertebrates straight) and familiar reference points (a "seven-foot basketball player" standing next to a very, very tall synchysidendron tree) make this an exemplary curriculum support resource, but kids who dig dinosaurs will read the book purely for pleasure. Let's hope this author-illustrator will decide to present more history for young readers. --Francisca Goldsmith Copyright 2004 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 3-6-Bonner takes a lighthearted approach to a fascinating topic. The Carboniferous and Permian periods spanned 100 million years or so just before the better-known Mesozoic Era. The author describes many of the unusual plant and animal species from those times in a lively, conversational style. Cartoon illustrations decorate every page. Some of them are strictly informational, but most contain elements of humor as well. The facts and the fun work well together, and it's always clear which is which. In one three-panel strip, for example, two scientists offer legitimate theories regarding possible uses of a shark's (Akmonistion) spiny "turret," while a chef wishes that he could have used that unusual appendage as a cheese grater. Weather reports by well-dressed reptile ancestors, want ads for bug-eating amniotes, and pictures with word balloons are among the other comic features. The more straightforward drawings of the unusual creatures are clear and eye-catching, though not all include estimated size. A useful two-page illustrated time line gives a nice overview. Most of the species details are basic, with more emphasis on how life in general evolved during this time period. Readers also see how climate, geology, and other animals effected development. Most dinosaur books include just a page or two of pre-Triassic information, so this title offers valuable subject coverage in an appealing package.-Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Enlisting a jokey text, this rushed and superficial overview identifies a few plants, insects, and reptiles of the late Paleozoic period. The pages are busy with serviceable color illustrations and silly cartoon panels that feature prehistoric animals knitting, drinking coffee, and conversing via dialogue balloons. A helpful illustrated timeline and a pronunciation guide are included. Bib., glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
A breezy look at the flora and fauna of 250-320 million years ago. Some of it, notably the hardy cockroach, is still with us; more, including giant, treelike lycopods ("Their young looked like hairy telephone poles, the full-grown ones like something out of a Dr. Seuss book") or the many-legged, six-foot-long Arthropleura--shown here next to a startled modern sunbather for scale--vanished in a mysterious mass extinction. Bonner surrounds a lively, specific narrative punctuated, but not weighted down, by tongue-twisting scientific names with a gallery of simply drawn, precisely detailed land and sea life--along with the occasional single or strip cartoon featuring, for instance, a toothy prehistoric meteorologist tracking climatic changes, or a primeval newspaper bearing the headline: WATERPROOF EGG A REALITY!" She then sums up the entire history of life on this planet with an illustrated timeline (featuring a bowl of "Primordial Soup"), and closes with cogent suggestions for further paper and Web resources. Dinosaurs tend to get all the press; young readers who wonder where they came from will find some answers here, memorably delivered. (Nonfiction. 8-12) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
