Monster birds

Uncomplicated text and a high-interest, animal-themed topic will likely draw readers to the Ice Age Mega Beasts series. It looks at the large, prehistoric beasts that predated the animals of the modern world and discusses the factors that led to their successful evolution as well as, later, their extinction. Monster Birds focuses primarily on teratorns, the largest of the giant Ice Age birds and the last relatives of the dinosaurs. Each volume includes a brief introduction to Ice Age conditions, a labeled diagram of each beast, and modern locations where the fossils have been found. The illustration style is not particularly consistent, and although relative size is usually mentioned, more thorough scale comparisons to modern counterparts would have been a helpful visual. Still, this successful introduction to an intriguing paleontological topic should spur readers to track down more informational texts.--Reagan, Maggie Copyright 2017 Booklist

Gr 2-4-The animals featured in this set all lived in North America and died around the time of the last Ice Age. Basic facts about physical features, behaviors, and environment are described in simple sentences that are generally clear, though not especially lively. In addition, details on traits are not consistent. For instance, the size and weight of teratorns are provided with numbers and diagrams, but the size of the stag-moose's antlers are not ("Its antlers were wide and flat"). Some titles include comparative diagrams of varied levels of usefulness (in Saber-Toothed Cats the size of the cat's prey is shown, but not the saber-toothed cat itself).Visual support includes drawings and photos of adequate quality. Maps in each volume show glacier coverage of the last Ice Age, plus the location of a key fossil find, but not the habitat range of the animal. Despite flaws, most of these animals are not often covered in single volumes (Stag-Moose, Giant Short-Faced Bears, and Monster Birds in particular), so they may fill subject holes. VERDICT Consider for topical coverage. © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.