MEGA: The Most Enormous Animals Ever

By Author / Illustrator

Jules Howard, Gavin Scott

Genre

Animals

Age range(s)

Publisher

Nosy Crow

ISBN

9781839943119

Format

Hardback

Published

13-02-2025

Synopsis

A fascinating celebration of the world's most enormous animals! Discover the magnificent megafauna that have shaped our planet - from the mighty megalodon, sabre-toothed cats and giant birds that existed millions of years ago, to the elephants, giraffes and whales that live today.

But why did some of the largest creatures on Earth go extinct? What do we know about their lives from the clues they left behind? And how can we protect the megafauna that roam our planet today? Unearth these secrets and many more in this captivating compendium.

Written by zoology correspondent, science-writer and broadcaster Jules Howard with astonishing illustrations on every page by Gavin Scott. Includes a mega jacket cover that unfolds to become a poster! The perfect gift for any child aged 7+ with an interest in animals and protecting our planet.

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Reviews

Maria

Crammed full of interesting facts about mighty mammals, big birds, rampaging reptiles, supersize fish and monstrous molluscs, MEGA: The Most Enormous Animals Ever will have children gripped and engaged as they discover the biggest animals on earth.

Each animal has three double page spreads full of information about the extinct animal, the animal today and 'megafauna at work'. The wonderfully clear and colourful illustrations aid the readers' understanding throughout the book.

This is a lovely non-fiction book to share with children to introduce them to some of the biggest and most wonderful creatures on the planet, whilst also exposing them to the world of extinct animals and the behaviours and environment that the animals display and live in.

MEGA: The Most Enormous Animals Ever is a great resource to use throughout the primary years, and a great support when learning about animals, their behaviours, habitats and evolution over time.

Jane

Using a simple, repeated pattern of headings, information about different animal groups is well presented, and there's clever use of the dust jacket which doubles up as a poster, with visual comparison of extinct animals and their nearest living equivalents.

I learnt that Agentavis had a double-decker-bus-sized wingspan and that a blue whale weighs 30 times more than an adult T Rex. Among the many startling statistics, one stand-out is that three out of five megafauna species still on Earth are now threatened with extinction. We need to conserve them, not just because of their 'wow!' factor, but for what humans can learn by studying them. And everyone, including children, can help with that. That's the message. Megafauna are important; past and present, they have shaped habitats and ecosystems.

This is a 'coffee table book' that will be well thumbed, especially in the school foyer or library display area. Those staffing the loan collection may want to denote the book 'Reference Only', owing to its high replacement cost and how difficult it is to carry in the average school bag without damage. Of course, if kept in the classroom book corner it will will certainly be enjoyed: KS1 children (ages 6+) finding the pictures impressive and KS2s (ages 7+) relishing the facts. The tertiary level vocabulary explained in the Glossary will also inform learning.

128 pages / Reviewed by Jane Rew, school librarian