In the Past: From Trilobites to Dinosaurs to Mammoths in More Than 500 Million Years
(Paws, Fins, Feathers, Claws)

Elliott and Trueman take readers to the Cambrian period then work their way forward, highlighting unusual and long-gone creatures, several of which will be new to many readers. There's more than a whiff of caricature to Trueman's larger-than-life mixed-media portraits, not that the creatures are around to complain. A Dilophosaurus ("Blessed/ with/ crests!") looks downright startled, and a Yutyrannus is fearsome as it tromps across a snowy landscape ("Your discovery in China/ created quite a stir./ Could dinosaurs be feathered?/ They could. You were"). Elliott's clever, winking poems are chiefly interested in keeping readers entertained: "Some way you were among/ the first to leave the ocean/ and touch the wet black earth," he writes as an armored Eurpterus slinks out of the water. "We're glad you did, / for what it's worth." But closing notes should satisfy their curiosity about these ancient beasts--or send them searching for additional information. Ages 3-7. (Mar.)

Copyright 2018 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Gr 1-3--Softly detailed watercolors accompany poems about early life-forms in this moving examination of prehistoric Earth. At the bottom of each page is a small box noting the era of the topic creature and showing the range in millions of years. Each short poem communicates the name of the animal and some details about them with a sense of wonder and humor, often playing on readers' expectations. ("Dilophosaurus" is only three words: "Blessed/with/crests!") Most illustrations are a full spread in size. Trueman's mixed-media artwork is filled with texture and small details; muddy river banks, the fleshy ridges of the megalodon's mouth, the remains of trilobites, etc. The majesty of the larger creatures is also well communicated. An author's note discusses ongoing discoveries of fossils, and explains how the prehistoric eras built on each other like stairs. In addition, a "Notes on the Animals" segment lists each covered time period, the poems that fall within that era, and additional information on creatures. VERDICT Prehistoric beasts are an evergreen favorite among kids, and this wonderful combination of art, poetry, and science is a great addition to libraries.--Tamara Saarinen, Pierce County Library, WA

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

A dramatic portrait gallery of some of our planet's former residents down through the eras, with pithy odes in rhymed or free verse...Many of the informal facts and observations he adds at the end are just as memorably phrased. Highlights from life's last 544 million years infused with humor and wonder.
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

It's not just dinosaurs profiled here; the book heads all the way into the Quaternary period (that's the one we're currently in) and introduces creatures like the saber-toothed tiger ("Smilodon") and the Woolly Mammoth ("Mammuthus"). Trueman's full-bleed, vibrant portraits bring these long-extinct animals to energetic life, and a final spread offers up more scientific facts. A journey into the past that's a visual and linguistic joy.
--Booklist (starred review)

Trueman's dynamic, creatively composed mixed-media illustrations plunge readers into past environments using awesome, sometimes scary perspectives: up close to the bloodied jaws of a carnivorous Dimetro- don, underneath the massive tail of a Brachytrachelopan or a striking Titanoboa, and within the giant ferns of the Triassic Period.
--The Horn Book