Woolly Rhinoceros

School Library Journal

ea. vol: 24p. diags. (Ice Age Monsters Series). CIP. Rourke. 1986. PLB $8.95. PreS-Gr 5 Like the dinosaur series published earlier (Rourke, 1986), each book in this series focuses on the everyday life of one prehistoric animal. The anthropomorphized texts and the clear and realistic but bland full-color illustrations recount these creatures' day-to-day search for food and shelter and their struggles to survive such Pleistocene dangers as tar pits, ice-age winters, and hungry predators (including early man). Unlike the dinosaur series, these texts and illustrations agree with current information available on these prehistoric animals. Two pages of facts at the end of each book fill in specific facts left out of the stories and discuss the overall effects of the Ice Age on its inhabitants. Like Miller's Prehistoric Mammals (S. & S., 1984) and Berger's Prehistoric Mammals : a Pop - up Book (Putnam, 1986), these books will be useful for both school reports and for pleasure reading. Preschoolers, too, will enjoy the story-like texts and clear illustrations. But, as there's little new information here, purchase only where needed to fill in gaps, or to meet popular demand. Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library