In the Past by David Elliott - OPTIONAL

In the Past by David Elliott, illustrated by Matthew Trueman.  PICTURE BOOK Candlewick Press, 2018.  $18  9780763660734  

BUYING ADVISORY: EL - OPTIONAL

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Twenty different prehistoric creatures are represented in this collection of poems that span three different eras on earth.  Each poem tells something interesting about that creature and also places it on the timeline.  The illustrations help the reader visualize what that creature might looked like.  The end of the book gives more details about each creature and why the author picked the details that were included in the poems.  

The cover and illustrations have great curb appeal and drew me in, but the poems are vague, and you would have to have more than a basic understanding of these creatures to make sense of the poems.  The poems have great rhythm and are fun to read aloud, but that’s not enough when they don’t make sense.  

C. Peterson