Author/Illustrator Karen Patkau
Tundra Books 2008
Ages 5-9
Meet Diplodocus and Skylark; Cameroceras and Blue-Ringed Octopus; Brontoscorpio and Fat-Tailed Scorpion; and discover what links them across the ages. While scientists obtain clues from fossils about how these prehistoric creatures looked and lived, Karen Patkau examines many of them in this fascinating comparison of extinct and present-day species. Captivating, simple text in the voices of the animals themselves is complemented by the vibrant illustrations, map endpapers, glossary, geological timeline, and history of life chart, making CREATURES Yesterday and Today a welcome addition to any home or school library, where a budding scientist can happily explore. A must-have for parents, schools and libraries alike.
LOOK INSIDE
AWARDS & HONOURS
• Canadian Toy Testing Council Recommended Reads 2014
• Book Sense Summer 2008 Children’s Picks List
• Resource Links 2008 Year’s Best List
REVIEWS
• “…the amazing science will engage dinosaur fans with the wonder of evolution and the evidence of fossils…. wonderful for beginning classroom science discussions.” – Booklist
• “… From the ferocious dunkleosteus of eons past to the tiny Sergeant Major coral fish that swim in oceans today, Patkau gives children an introduction to evolution. Maps, a timeline, a history chart and a glossary give an educational edge to a glorious picture book.” – The Chronicle Herald
• “The chronology, beginning with today and going back to Precambrian times, puts these creatures in perspective … The colorful presentation will make this an enjoyable browsing book …” – School Library Journal
• “… the text written in the first person so that readers “hear the voice” of the animal. … Vibrant colors … characterize these very simple, yet, at once, subtly detailed illustrations. …” – Highly Recommended — Canadian Materials
• “… Engaging and informative on its own account … the type of book which stimulates classroom discussion and sets youngsters off to explore for themselves. A very attractive book for a home library, with its maps, glossary, and time chart – it belongs also in elementary school libraries and classrooms.” – Deakin Newsletter
• “Yesterday’s creature, a Diplodocus, bestrides the two opening pages of this picture book, his huge body firmly planted on one page, his very long neck reaching far into the opposite page, into the trees and ferns…. Today’s creature, a skylark, perches on a branch of a tree. The end of the Diplodocus’s tail can be seen weaving through the branches, suggesting a connection, a connection that the text reinforces … The “then and now” continues, with more pairing that offers compelling visual and textual evidence of species evolution …” – The Globe and Mail
• “Junior scientists will be thrilled with the information that paleontologists have gleaned from fossils and budding artists will be captivated by the almost-three-dimensional illustrations!” – Professionally Speaking
• “Evolution” is a word that engenders considerable controversy … and its place in the public-school science curriculum has never been secure. It’s time we did better. … Karen Patkau’s Creatures Yesterday and Today … pairs prehistoric animals with their (related, but startlingly different) modern descendants, each of which – in the first person – tells a bit about themselves.” – Rebecca Rupp Resources
• “Young readers will draw connections between the illustrations of the current and extinct animals, as well as make comparisons regarding the textual descriptions of the animals. … Patkau’s pairing of animals from yesterday and today is enjoyable, instructive and thought-provoking. – Children’s Literature
KAREN PATKAU 