Mammoth

Children's Literature

This is an outstanding example of science writing for children. It is simply written, beautifully illustrated by the author, and packed with intriguing information. How do we know about mammoths? There is an imaginary history of one specimen: how it died, how its bones were preserved, how they were discovered, and how a modern scientist interpreted them. How have mammoth bones been explained historically? There are anecdotes about ancient finds, including the story of a massive mammoth thighbone given to Cortés in 1519. How many kinds of mammoths were there? Half a dozen, or so, are described, including one variety from Malta that was barely larger than a big dog. How did mammoths evolve? The family tree is given from sloth-like moeritherium of 40 million years ago, through the bizarre dinotherium with its tusks on its lower jaw and pointing down, to modern elephants (it turns out Asian elephants are more closely related to mammoths than they are to African elephants). In short, every page contains interesting information that is clearly presented. This is a useful and pleasant read for adults and children alike and would make an excellent addition to any library. 2002, Henry Holt and Company,
— Michael Chabin

School Library Journal

Gr 2-4-A lively overview of the life and times of the mammoth (and some of its cohabitants of the Ice Age). O'Brien offers a history of the various types-some woolly, some not, some huge, some no more than three and a half feet tall-and their habitats. He traces their evolution from the piglike Moeritherium of 45 million years ago to the last extant mammoths, still alive at the time of the Pharaohs, to today's African and Asian elephants, and speculates knowledgeably on the causes of the mammoth's extinction. He also reports on its intersection with mankind. Ice Age cave drawings testify to the animals' importance in the early life of man. Their bones have also fueled some deeply unscientific flights of fancy. Europeans of the Middle Ages believed them to be the bones of giants as did some South American tribes. Siberians thought the bones were the skeletons of giant rats-so-called "mammut"-tunneling to the surface of the earth and considered it bad luck to approach them. The illustrations of the animals, the humans, and the landscapes, in watercolor and gouache, are realistically clear and help make this an enticing offering.-Dona Ratterree, New York City Public Schools Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Kirkus Reviews

The author of Megatooth (1991) and Gigantic (1999) returns to prehistory to share the saga of the mammoth, an ancient relative of the elephant that wandered from Africa to Alaska before and during the last Ice Age. Using a large picture-book format and integrating spot watercolor illustrations throughout the text, he discusses how people learned of the mammoths, and then visualizes the world in which the mammoths flourished and then perished. While most people know of the woolly mammoth, O’Brien also describes several other species, including the steppe mammoth, imperial mammoth, Columbian mammoth, and even a dwarf mammoth, the size of a large dog, living on the island of Malta. Especially fine are the detailed drawings of other members of the mammoth family tree and comparison drawings of trunks, heads, and tusks of various mammoths. Libraries that have just purchased Caroline Arnold’s When Mammoths Walked the Earth (p. 1026) may consider a second title covering much the same material redundant; however, O’Brien’s title has less text and will better suit a younger reader. (Nonfiction. 5-9)