GREAT BIG GUINEA PIGS

Once, about eight million years ago, giant predecessors of guinea pigs roamed the land. So says a mother guinea pig to her little offspring during their nightly bedtime routine, fulfilling his request for “NOT a made-up story.” Mother and child cuddle in the cut-paper-collage-created cage, as she tells a factual story about their ancestors who lived long ago in Venezuela. Not so cute, nor tame, their distant relatives were wild and as big as buffalo, weighing almost a ton. But, explains the mother guinea pig, various changes in land forms and the resulting change in animal life forced their ancestors to eat less and become smaller and quicker. Roth uses several techniques to demonstrate size, first placing a tape measure in the cage of the contemporary animals and then turning the book in order to hint at the enormity of the earlier ones. Her wonderful choices of paper are described on the flap, but should have been included in the aftermatter along with the bibliography and author’s note. Choice of the familiar household pet to teach a little science, the delightful art and the not-so-unusual bedtime stall, make this enormously attractive to young readers. (Picture book. 3-6)