When Mammoths Walked the Earth [Hardcover]

Caroline Arnold (Author), Laurie Caple (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 23, 2002 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Growing to weights of 10 tons and distinguished by enormous curling tusks, mammoths were the largest land animals of the Ice Age. Today, discoveries of mammoth fossils—in places ranging from tar pits and sinkholes to frozen tundra and the bottom of the sea—are expanding our view into the lives of these fascinating giants. In this meticulously researched, clear, and accessible book, award-winning nonfiction author Caroline Arnold describes the natural history of mammoths, highlighting their physical features and adaptation to the environment. Laurie Caple’s stunning, scientifically accurate watercolors complement the text and provide an intriguing look at these huge creatures and what the world was like at the time when mammoths walked the earth. Index.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-5-After a brief explanation of the Ice Age, the team that created Giant Shark (2000) and Dinosaurs with Feathers (2001, both Clarion) introduces the various mammoths and their relatives and then describes some of the most important fossil finds and what scientists have learned from them. Arnold doesn't shy away from the difficult names and vocabulary required by this topic, but her clear explanations aid readers in understanding the time period, the relationships among the various species, and the scientific processes involved in studying fossils. Caple's watercolors are realistic, detailed, and surprisingly beautiful. A soft sunset behind a row of traveling mastodons, the hint of a stand of evergreens glimpsed through snow and mist, the glow of torchlight on the face of a prehistoric painter all draw readers into the mystery of these lost animals and the humans who saw them. An index makes this a useful research tool, but fans of prehistoric mammals will read the book cover to cover. Barbara Hehner's Ice Age Mammoth (Crown, 2001) covers some similar information but focuses on the discovery of the Jarkov mammoth.
Ellen Heath, Orchard School, Ridgewood, NJ
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-5. New discoveries of mammoth fossils continue to tell us more about the behavior and world of these fascinating beasts. Arnold introduces the subject in six accessible chapters that consider the first and last mammoths, their relatives, and the value of mammoths to prehistoric peoples. The information is brief but thorough, with realistic watercolor illustrations depicting the giant animals and their surroundings. Scientific names appear in italics, and pronunciation guides are in parentheses. In contrast to the ecological approach in Aliki's Wild and Wooly Mammoths (1996), the emphasis here is how researching mammoth bones helps us learn about the animals' behavior, surroundings, and the reasons they became extinct. An informative presentation, not overly scientific in tone and sure to appeal. Julie Cummins
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Clarion Books (September 23, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0618096337
• ISBN-13: 978-0618096336
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 10.6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,411,865 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Caroline Arnold is the author of more than 100 books for children. She writes both fiction and nonfiction and recently has illustrated some of her books with striking cut paper art. To see prints and cards of her illustrations, go to www.etsy.com/shop/CarolineArnoldArt. Recent nonfiction titles include A Polar Bear's World, A Bald Eagle's World, Global Warming and the Dinosaurs, A Panda's World, Giant Sea Reptiles of the Dinosaur Age, Super Swimmers, and Easter Island. Her recent fiction books include Wiggle and Waggle, a collection of five stories for beginning readers, and The Terrible Hodag and the Animal Catchers, a tall tale.
Her books have received awards from the American Library Association, the National Science Teachers Association, P.E.N., and SCBWI. Recently she received the Washington Post/Children's Book Guild Nonfiction Award for her body of work, the Leo Politi Award from California Readers, and from the Children's Literature Council of Southern California, the Best Written and Illustrated Suite of Nonfiction for children.
Caroline's interest in animals and the out-of-doors began when she was a child growing up in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After majoring in art and literature at Grinnell College in Iowa, she received her M.A. in art from the University of Iowa. Some of her new books are illustrated with her own art. Caroline lives in Los Angeles and teaches part-time in the Writer's Program at UCLA Extension.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Provides a fascinating review of the beast and its history, January 11, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Mammoths Walked the Earth (Hardcover)

Research and the latest scientific findings blend with fine watercolors to describe the natural history of mammoths in a picturebook for kids in grades 3-4. From the first mammoths, largest land animals of the Ice Age, to their demise, When Mammoths Walked The Earth provides a fascinating review of the beast and its history.

5.0 out of 5 stars When Mammothes Walked the Earth, January 24, 2007

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ac8286 - See all my reviews

This review is from: When Mammoths Walked the Earth (Hardcover)

We had gotten this book from the library, it is a good factual book about Mammoths for younger children 3years to 9 years. We also visited the sink hole sight that was mentioned in it in South Dakota, so it made the book even more enjoyable.