In the Past: From Trilobites to Dinosaurs to Mammoths in More Than 500 Million Years

Elliott and Trueman take readers to the Cambrian period then work their way forward, highlighting unusual and long-gone creatures, several of which will be new to many readers. There’s more than a whiff of caricature to Trueman’s larger-than-life mixed-media portraits, not that the creatures are around to complain. A Dilophosaurus (“Blessed/ with/ crests!”) looks downright startled, and a Yutyrannus is fearsome as it tromps across a snowy landscape (“Your discovery in China/ created quite a stir./ Could dinosaurs be feathered?/ They could. You were”). Elliott’s clever, winking poems are chiefly interested in keeping readers entertained: “Some way you were among/ the first to leave the ocean/ and touch the wet black earth,” he writes as an armored Eurpterus slinks out of the water. “We’re glad you did,/ for what it’s worth.” But closing notes should satisfy their curiosity about these ancient beasts—or send them searching for additional information. Ages 3–7. (Mar.)