Woolly Mammoth (review)

Woolly mammoths are intriguing beasts, gargantuan, hominid-known mammals that are nonetheless long gone. Manning and Granström provide a thoughtful introduction to the species in picture-book format, with a rhyming main narration in the mammoth's own voice ("Look at me!/ I'm the shaggiest thing you'll ever see") counterpointed with factual information in manageable marginal tidbits. The main verse is somewhat awkward at times, but it's lively and inviting, the mammoth's-eye-view brings immediacy to an animal that can be hard to imagine, and Manning and Granström wisely focus on details—the fighting off of predators, the playful lives of calves—that will appeal to young audiences; sidebar information is generally solid and interesting. The sidebars are illustrated with spot art in soft sketchy brown pencil, a medium that moves from the technical to the informal as needed; three-quarter spreads in watercolor shaded and lined with pencil provide illustration for the main narrative, depicting not only believably scruffy mammoths but similarly scruffy humans, both groups treated respectfully even within the light cartoon style. This would be a useful nonfictional counterpart to Layton's Mammoth Academy (BCCB 10/08) as well as being a helpful introduction to a fascinating animal that young people will never personally know. A brief timeline and glossary are appended.