Dinosaurs to Dodos: An Encyclopedia of Extinct Animals

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

For every plant or animal species alive today, more than one thousand
species have passed away since life first appeared on Earth. That
sobering fact provides the central theme for this fascinating book about
scores of weird and wonderful creatures that no longer swim, walk, fly,
slither, or ooze across this planet. Four billion years of Earth life is
chronicled, from the pre-Cambrian period, when the simplest bacteria
first appeared, to today when many modern species that are threatened
with extinction. Don Lessem’s text is informative and fun. Each of the
12 chapters is built around a serious scientific overview, but Lessem
doesn’t hesitate to throw in the occasional groaner title (like
“going buggy”) or point out some of the more bizarre aspects of
these diverse creatures.

Given the subject matter, any illustrator would be fully challenged to
come up with accurate portraits of these startling critters. In
Dinosaurs to Dodos, the artwork is brilliantly executed by the
award-winning nature artist, Jan Sovak. Working from fossils and the
latest scientific theories, Sovak breathes life and movement into these
long-extinct creatures. Highly recommended.