MEET THE MEGAFAUNA!

Introducing 20 gigantic animals, some from prehistoric times and others surviving today.

From the supercroc to the woolly mammoth, this striking album offers descriptions of the largest creatures ever to walk, swim, or fly. Balkan’s informative text covers when and where they lived or live, size and shape, behavior, and, if extinct, modern relatives. She also provides imaginative descriptions of what their lives might have been like: Young giant rhinos romping, female saber-tooth cats hunting, and giant deer battling with oversized antlers. Among the animals that are still around today are the African savanna elephant, the blue whale, and the Masai giraffe. Broken up into paragraphs, the text is set directly on striking illustrations showing each animal in its habitat. Additional boxed text provides fast facts. This is a large-format title, full of gatefolds that emphasize the colossal dimensions of these creatures. Helpfully, the introductory material includes a general explanation of how paleontologists find and reconstruct the extinct specimens and why most of them flourished long ago. There’s also an overview of the various periods of geologic time, from the Cretaceous to the Quaternary. Balkan concludes by offering four reasons for the disappearance of most of these animals and examples of five other surviving but threatened giant species. This title is sure to appeal to dinosaur fans but may widen the scope of their attention as well.

Animal wonders on a grand scale.