An Encyclopedia of Species that Have Disappeared during Human History
August 1, 2009
Gr 10 Up-The great auk, the dodo, the passenger pigeonthese recently extinct animals get most of the press, but, as Ross points out, they are just the tip of the iceberg. Noting claims that possibly a million or more species have vanished in the last century alone, he highlights 65 creatures that are presumed extinct. Grouping his two- to four-page entries into chronological chapters, the author goes backward in time, beginning with the golden toad, the Eskimo curlew, and five others that were last seen less than 100 years ago, and ending more than 50,000 years ago with the likes of the megatooth shark and the giant ape. "Homo erectus" and its near relatives are included, too. Each entry opens with a taxonomic classification and brief overview; goes on to describe physical features, range, ecological niche, and likely fate; includes a small, drab photo or drawing; and closes with a bulleted list of extra facts and leads to further reading. Though the book has a dense, utilitarian look that will keep casual browsers away, the prose is clear and even lively at times ("Fortunately for the pronghorn antelope, the American cheetah died out around 10,000 years ago"). The level of detail makes this a more rewarding resource for serious students of extinction's causeswhich are many and often hard to pin downthan Don Lessem's "Dinosaurs to Dodos: An Encyclopedia of Extinct Animals" (Scholastic, 1999)."John Peters, New York Public Library"
Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
September 15, 2009
This well-intentioned book is not encyclopedic since it discusses just 65 of the probable millions of species that are now extinct. These 65 species are fascinating, evocative, and important to know about as representative of the history of the earth. The information is interesting and well documented, and the author writes clearly and intelligently. The introductory essay is an overview of mass extinctions in ancient times and the one in which we now live. Each entry begins with brief capsule information on the animals scientific name and classification, time of extinction, and location. Extinction Insight essays, placed between the time period groups, explain topics such as fossilization, the La Brea Tar Pits, and the ice ages. These essays are not listed in the table of contents or the index. The glossary, selected bibliography, and a list of selected natural-history museums with Web sites augment the short further-reading lists for each species. The reading lists are largely scientific articles and books. The black-and-white illustrations, many of which were created especially for this work, and the extremely small print wont have much appeal for students, who are more likely to turn to the Internet for information about these species. It is unfortunate that the books physical properties do not match the content. That said, libraries that support science instruction and peoples fascination with extinct creatures will want to consider it.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)