Atlas of Prehistoric Animals

Selected for the CBC March 2025 Hot Off The Press List.

"Gr 4-8–In the third book of this series (¬Atlas of Extinct Animals, Atlas of Endangered Animals), Maly turns to prehistoric creatures. The text was reviewed by an expert, giving it the stamp of scientific authenticity. Animals are organized according to their respective geological era, from oldest to most recent, with each allotted a spread. Modlitba’s bold and dynamic illustrations occupy the full left side of spreads. The creators note the illustrations owe a debt to Czech paleoartist Zdenek Burian. On the right, ¬informative text appears about each creature, including its weight, length or wingspan, and overall size in relation to a modern human (or in the case of smaller dinosaurs and ¬arthropods, a human hand). Most animals larger than a human hand were significantly larger—including prehistoric fish, plesiosaurs, cephalopods, and of course, dinosaurs. The immense size of many of these creatures is thought to be due to higher oxygen levels 300 million years ago. The amount of text, while not overwhelming, is packed full of ¬information. The eye-catching design and sophisticated illustrations would appeal to older elementary students and middle schoolers. ¬VERDICT A great choice for most nonfiction and reference shelves." —Jessica Epstein, School Library Journal

"What I Liked: I love learning new facts about prehistoric animals as they were something I wasn’t too interested in as a child. I loved that this book included facts that the typical books I read hadn’t informed me about so I was learning new things as I read. On each page, there is a small image comparing the size of the animal with a human which I found amusing. I loved getting to see how ridiculously large some of these creatures were and then in contrast how small some of them were. I loved that to show the size comparison there was either a silhouette of a full body or a silhouette of a hand. I appreciated that each page opened with a large image of what professionals believe these creatures look like before providing you with information. I also like that on top of the information we get a glimpse of the similar creatures we are going to learn about. I appreciate that this short evolutionary guide is given not only in text but also through the images. Final Verdict: Atlas of Prehistoric Animals is a great encyclopedia for children ages 9 and up who are fascinated by dinosaurs. This book will teach them about the oldest animals on earth which they may already know and introduce them to animals that they have yet to learn about. Adults will also enjoy learning new facts about each of these animals that they may never have heard about either." —Adrien Guerra, YA Books Central

"This gorgeous reference book will elicit sighs of pleasure from prehistoric animal lovers. Great care has been taken to enhance its sense of mystery and elegance, from the book’s glowing green endpapers covered with small black-and-white images of extinct creatures to the oversized, realistic oil paintings of these same thrilling animals." —Susan Harari, Youth Services Book Review

"A wonderful book! It was both educational and entertaining to read, A must have for and ancient history buffs out there!" —NetGalley-Librarian