An interesting introduction for young children to animals that came and went over the course of Earth's history. Dinosaurs are covered extensively in natural history books, so it's good to see the non-dino's getting a look-in. This is mainly a picture book, having only a few short comments per animal, which to me is problematic; there's not much to go on when the inevitable 'why', 'what', and 'how' questions arise. A very basic book, but one that will hopefully engender further interest down the line.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/31019574-animals-of-a-bygone-era?ac=1&from_search=true

I love this book as much as the first book by Maja Säfström that I picked up a year or so ago. I love the illustration style and the feel of the book cover.

Informative and amusing book with brilliant illustrations. Would serve as a great coffee table book or for kids. A delight to read!

Maja Säfström's somewhat whimsical illustrations perfectly accompany tidbits about animals that no longer roam our planet.

This book of cool drawings and odd facts about little known extinct species will appeal to both young and old.

“Whimsical” is probably the best single word to describe Animals of a Bygone Era: An Illustrated Compendium, written and drawn by Maja Safstrom, which runs through a series of extinct animals from 550 million years ago (Dickinsonia Costata) to 12, 000 years ago (Saddle-Backed Rodrigues Giant Tortoises). The black-and white drawings are charmingly rough and stylized, doing a good job of clearly depicting the animals with enough if not overwhelming detail. Purists might not care for the facial anthropomorphizing Safstrom often employs, but that’s a small price to pay for what I assume will be a large visual appeal to younger readers. There’s no doubt the artwork is the strength of this book.

That leaves the text, which is definitely the weak link here. To begin with a positive, Safstrom gives her creatures some humorous lines, as when a flightless bird comments that “wings are so overrated” or when another creature, one with a tiny brain, notes “I am not intelligent, but I’m not that smart either.” Most of the text though is pretty pedestrian and even a bit repetitive. And it’s also pretty slight in terms of information, with each drawing basically accompanied a one or two facts, often connected to the creature’s size. And while the parade of creatures moves in chronological order, there’s no sense of context in terms of evolution, other creatures, changes in the world, etc., and even the chronology is left to the reader to pick up on, as that fact is conveyed only by a small little number in the bottom left corner.

Animals of a Bygone Era is a cute book filled with cute, approachable drawings and as such will engage young readers on a visual level, though I’d say it’s constructed more for the lower age levels as older kids will want to delve more in-depth into this fascinating lost world

A truly educational read for me. I also loved the illustrations scattered throughout!

Animals of a Bygone Era by Maja Safstrom - what a stylish and delightful book! The illustrations are simple, yet they thoroughly depict the long extinct creatures. There are several prehistoric creatures that you may have heard of like the Dodo bird and Sabre Tooth Tiger, but a vast majority of the book is dedicated to the lesser known creastures of the past.
This title would be perfect for any child or adult who enjoys prehistoric creatures, science and animals!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book would have been very loved by me as a kid, with adorable illustrations of extinct animals and cute little factoids, what is not to love? The black and white art reminds me a bit of the style of Edward Gorey, but geared towards mostly prehistoric creatures. so this definitely won it some points in my book. As always with these style books I wish there was more information, but since it is geared more towards showcasing the art that makes sense that it is light on information and, well, heavy on art.