Every child knows about dinosaurs, but fewer know about prehistoric mammals like the hyracotherium or the macrauchenia. A brief factual introduction sets the scene, then short passages describe eleven creatures that evolved after the dinosaurs’ demise (including homo sapiens). Each double-page spread includes a pronunciation guide and presents interesting facts about the mammal. Full-color illustrations show these amazing creatures in action.

From the woolly mammoth to the Indricotherium, the largest land mammal ever, paleontologist Brown describes ten extraordinary, but now extinct, mammals, plus the surviving Homo sapien [sic]. Each double-page spread includes a colored illustration of the mammal in its environment, pronunciation of its name and a short description, usually emphasizing its eating habits. The last page illustrates and describes the work of paleontologists, although that word is not used. An author's note explains the time covered in this survey, which is ordered for dramatic effect, not for chronology. This is straightforward information, presented in an interesting and accessible package for developing readers, although they might find the table of contents more helpful if all the pages were numbered. In a series aimed at offering high-interest stories, this more than fills the bill, and is a welcome accompaniment to The Day the Dinosaurs Died (May 2006) by the same team. (Nonfiction. 6-8)

K-Gr 3-This title examines a variety of ancient mammals. It opens with a brief introduction, followed by a spread devoted to each animal. The creatures are compared to things that readers will recognize (e.g., "size of a small dog"). The pronunciation guide is a welcome feature. The finely detailed watercolor illustrations emphasize the unusual features of each species. This title is more substantive than Helen Frost's Woolly Mammoth (Capstone, 2005) as it focuses on more than one ancient animal in more complex sentences. Add this book if your students are addicted to prehistory.-Christine Markley, Washington Elementary School, Barto, PA Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.