ENCYCLOPEDIA PREHISTORICA: MEGA-BEASTS
by Robert Sabuda & Matthew Reinhart
Candlewick Press
ISBN-10: 0763622303
ISBN-13: 9780763622305
Ages 5-up
12 pages

Robert Sabuda has been at the forefront of paper engineering and bookmaking for almost 15 years, particularly since the publication of his intricate and beautiful Christmas pop-ups (and, later, greeting cards) made him beloved by children and adults alike. Sabuda's protégé, Matthew Reinhart, is a relative newcomer to the publishing world, but he has quickly made a name for himself through his own pop-up creations as well as several collaborations with his mentor.

The best known of these are the three books that comprise Encyclopedia Prehistorica, a terrific compilation of facts and figures about dinosaurs and other prehistoric beasts. The first two installments introduced young readers (and their curious parents) to DINOSAURS and SHARKS & SEA MONSTERS. Now Sabuda and Reinhart return with the third and final volume in the set: MEGA-BEASTS.

This time, the focus is on the gargantuan mammals and other beasts that inhabited the planet during the Mesozoic Era, right through the ice age and almost up to the present day. These include the huge flying lizard quetzalcoatlus, prehistoric rats and bats, as well as more modern extinct animals such as the dodo. The authors' comments about the relation of such long-lost species to today's endangered animals are subtly made and well-crafted to spark discussion and contemplation among young people.

Of course, the highlight of any Sabuda/Reinhart publication is the pop-ups themselves. As with the other volumes in the Encyclopedia Prehistorica series, the layout of each two-page spread includes one large, somewhat imposing pop-up creature (the smilodon [saber-toothed tiger] and woolly mammoth are highlights) as well as four or more mini "booklets" that include smaller paper constructions of other animals. Readers will pore over these pages for hours, as much for the awesome feats of paper engineering and their representations of impressive prehistoric creatures as for the text.

Certainly these three volumes are not really encyclopedic, but their combination of fascinating facts and magnificent three-dimensional illustrations and design is bound to spark readers' interest in both the prehistoric eras and the arts of bookmaking and paper engineering.

   --- Reviewed by Norah Piehl

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