Ocean Renegades!: Journey Through the Paleozoic Era (Earth Before Us #2)

Gr 4-6--Everybody loves dinosaurs, but what came before them? Howard's second book in the series transports readers back 505 million years to the Paleozoic era, stopping for a close look at each of its six periods, from Cambrian to Permian. Detailed illustrations of the microscopic flora and fauna of ancient sea floors allow for careful examination of the strange and wondrous creatures along the long chain of evolution. Young fans of informational books will appreciate the many facts, pronunciation keys, and diagrams that fill Howard's accessible narrative, as we follow the protagonist Ronnie and her teacher and caretaker, Miss Lernin, on their adventure. Graphic novel-style panels support the conversational dialogue between Ronnie and Miss Lernin, and caption boxes explain various elements of natural science covered in their exploration. A fun sorting activity concludes the narrative. VERDICT A must for avid dinosaur fans and budding natural scientists.-Lettycia Terrones, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign