Product Description
Discover the biggest creatures to have roamed the Earth, past and present, from the outright biggest - such as the colossal blue whale and the dinosaur Argentinosaurus
“The clear organization and bite-sized chunks of information make this quite accessible to young lovers of animals past and present....an appealing collection for readers who like superlatives.”―Kirkus Reviews “Even the most enthusiastic animal or dinosaur fan will find much new to wonder about in this well-illustrated informational book about weird and wonderful big beasts. Divided into three major sections― ‘Forests and Plains,’ ‘Rivers and Seas,’ and ‘Giants of Today’―….A solid purchase with broad appeal.”―School Library Journal
In addition to the largest animals on Earth, discover species that grew to monstrous sizes compared to others of their kind, such as the giant kangaroos of Australia, otters the size of wolves, and Argentavis, a giant bird with a wingspan almost as long as a bus!
You'll meet the giants of the jungle, desert, swamp, sea, ice, and sky through vibrantly illustrated scenes of them in their natural habitats, and compare the size of these humongous creatures to humans. A gatefold spread unfolds to reveal a line-up of all the giants featured in the book, to scale, while a visual timeline shows when they roamed the Earth.
From School Library Journal
Gr 1-3-Even the most enthusiastic animal or dinosaur fan will find much new to wonder about in this well-illustrated informational book about weird and wonderful big beasts. Divided into three major sections- "Forests and Plains," "Rivers and Seas," and "Giants of Today"-this book covers dozens of creatures, ranging from millions of years ago to the present time. Mammals, reptiles, birds, insects, and undersea creatures from every continent are included. Each page has a small graphic showing a silhouette of the animal alongside two humans-one adult and one child-which provides a great visual clue about the truly colossal size of the animal and helps clarify the text and offer more context. On a large foldout page showing a time line of life on Earth is every animal drawn to scale, and includes four humans to show relative size. The nomenclature "MYA" (millions of years ago) and "YA" (years ago) used throughout is not explicitly defined, although some readers may infer it from the text. Includes a table of contents and an index. A single scientist is depicted with dark brown skin; all other humans are shown in silhouette. VERDICT A solid purchase with broad appeal.-Sue Morganα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review
“The clear organization and bite-sized chunks of information make this quite accessible to young lovers of animals past and present....an appealing collection for readers who like superlatives.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Even the most enthusiastic animal or dinosaur fan will find much new to wonder about in this well-illustrated informational book about weird and wonderful big beasts. Divided into three major sections— ‘Forests and Plains,’ ‘Rivers and Seas,’ and ‘Giants of Today’—….A solid purchase with broad appeal.”—School Library Journal
About the Author
Clive Gifford is an award-winning author of children’s books, including The colors of History (Quarto), winner of the Blue Peter Book Prize, Out of This World (Buster Books) which was shortlisted for the prestigious Royal Society Young People's Book Prize and Cool Technology (Scholastic) which won the School Library Association Information Book Award. In the US, Clive has also won Smithsonian, Children's Choice, NAPPA and PBS awards. When he’s not writing books, Clive has travelled through 70 countries, run a computer games company, and taken part in all manner of sports from parachuting and gliding to Ultimate Frisbee. He lives in Manchester, UK.
When Howard Gray was younger, he was always content with a few sheets of paper and
