Review by Booklist Review
Dinosaurs get plenty of attention, but what about other ancient creatures? Thomson and Plant attempt to remedy this oversight with a glimpse into the life of the terror bird, a prehistoric bird with powerful hind legs; a gigantic, meat-tearing beak; and tiny, flightless wings. In brief, informative free-verse lines, Thomson details the terror bird's size (The smallest was the size of an eagle. A large one could be as tall as a basketball hoop); predatory habits (It could break bones with one kick); and its place in the ecosystem (They kept a balance between food, predators, and prey). Plant's vivid paintings of the terror bird in action chasing down prey, tearing apart their quarry are clearly labeled with scientific names. Though the book notably lacks a glossary, the list of flightless birds that can be seen today (the much gentler ostrich and emu, for example) and resources for further research make this a good starting point for young readers interested in prehistoric animals.--Hunter, Sarah Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-Imagine a predator that stands about seven feet tall and has an enormous hooked beak and long, thick, sharp talons. All of these traits combined to form the largest-known carnivore in the avian world, called the terror bird. It thrived in South America more than 15 million years ago but died out after a land bridge between South and North America formed. These facts, coupled with acrylic gouache illustrations that artfully depict the terrain and various items on the terror bird's menu as they are eaten, will appeal to children fascinated by predator/prey relationships and creatures of the past. The book includes a gallery of other flightless birds. The text is simple and straightforward, with short sentences and an open format. The author concludes with theories about the bird's demise.-Maggie Chase, Boise State University, ID (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Fifteen million years ago, a seven-foot carnivorous bird (cf2]Kelenken guillermoi) at the top of its food web dominated South America. The grisly particulars of the terror bird's feeding habits, its anatomy and behavior, and the basics of population dynamics are conveyed through simple sentences and evocative color illustrations that spare none of the bloody details. Reading list, websites. (c) Copyright 2014. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Potentially high-interest nonfiction content is obscured by missed opportunities for collaboration between art and text in this early reader. Although the text immediately establishes the temporal and physical setting ("This is South American fifteen million years ago"), ensuing pages fail to clarify the introduction of the book's subject, a now-extinct predatory bird. A frontmatter note indicates "The terror bird featured in this book is Kelenken guillermoi, a seven-foot-tall predator that lived about fifteen million years ago," but if readers miss this key notation, they may flounder as they read about the eponymous terror bird's predatory ways. The text intersperses facts within imagined hunting scenes, but the art fails to make the most of the descriptions. For example, the fourth page of text tells readers that "There were many kinds of terror birds. The smallest was the size of an eagle. A large one could be the size of a basketball hoop." The accompanying picture shows two prehistoric birds labeled Brontornis and Psilopterus, and although they contrast greatly in size, they are set against an entirely white page, so there is no indication of scale to match the text. A more successful spread compares the role of these top predators with those that exist today, such as sharks, wolves and tigers. An uneven, though potentially engaging, offering. (resources) (Informational early reader. 5-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
