Publisher Description

In Earth's 4.5-billion-year history, more than 5 billion species have gone extinct, some of them at the same time. How can 75-95 percent of species on Earth disappear at one time? What event could cause such a massive die off? These are the questions that scientists have asked for decades as they explore the causes of extinction. In Extinction: What Happened to the Dinosaurs, Mastodons, and Dodo Birds? readers ages 9 to 12 learn about the scientific detective work scientists perform to answer these questions and find the culprit behind mass extinctions.

Author Biography

Laura Perdew is an author, writing consultant, and former middle school teacher. She has written more than 15 books for the education market on a wide range of subjects, including the animal rights movement, the history of the toilet, eating local, and the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. She is a long-time member of the Society of Children's Book Authors and Illustrators. Laura lives in Boulder, Colorado.Tom Casteel is an illustrator and cartoonist with a master's degree from the Center for Cartoon Studies. Tom has illustrated several books for Nomad Press, including The Brain: Journey Through the Universe Inside Your Head; Cities: Discover How They Work; and Human Migration: Investigate the Global Journey of Humankind. Tom lives in South Bend, Indiana.

Review

Reviews for other titles in the series: BioEngineering: Discover How Nature Inspires Human Designs
School Library Connection: "Breaking down the complex topic of bioengineering into a kid-friendly format is a tough challenge, and Dr. Christine Burillo-Kirch does a fine job of doing just that. Bioengineering, the field which combines biology and engineering to build devices that help humans, is carefully defined and explained for upper elementary and middle school students. The text and comic style illustrations support science and STEM curriculum and projects while keeping it relatable and simple for budding scientists. The 25 projects, complete with supply lists and step-by-step directions, give students and teachers guidelines for meaningful projects and activities to extend learning and spark critical thinking. Recommended."

Reviews for other titles in the series: Microbes: Discover an Unseen World with 25 Projects
Booklist: "Making microbes an engaging topic for young readers is no easy task, but by marshaling comic-book-style illustrations and plenty of relatable examples, this book will be an appealing choice for the science classroom and the library shelf. Essential questions are introduced at the start of each chapter and are repeated at that chapter's close to reinforce the main concepts and encourage metacognition. Twenty-five experiments expound on concepts such as understanding herd immunity, viewing bacteria cultures, diagnosing infectious disease, and studying decomposition. Access to more information is made easy through the scannable QR codes and keyword search prompts that are embedded in the marginalia. By discussing the ways the microbes grow and thrive, this offers plenty of practical advice for staying healthy and preventing infection. As a series of fun experiments in a dynamic layout that also remains faithful to the basic tenets of scientific inquiry, this is sure to engage young biologists."
Alexander's Library

Finally! A book about paleontology that begins with a geological time scale stretching from Earth's beginning (about 4.6 billion years ago) to the present. Not only does the timeline map out eras, periods, and epochs, it also places the last five mass extinctions into context. Fortunately, the introductory chapter defines what an extinction is, detailing contemporary extinctions of species. Subsequent chapters examine causes of extinction, asteroid strikes, human evolution, and other examples of survival and adaptation. The author raises the possibility that we may currently be experiencing the sixth mass extinction, pushed by human impact on the environment. This book is filled with hands-on activities, from making a fossil to examining how oceans are acidified (and the impact on shells). There's even a list of items to take on a (water) bear hunt. Additional features include text boxes that highlight fin facts; sidebars that provide definitions; and a series of species spotlights. What I really like: the last chapter lists concrete steps we can take to reduce human impact on our planet and slow the rate of species extinction.

National Science Teachers Association Recommends

This book uses the concept of extinction to teach a little chemistry, a little climatology, paleontology, biology (biodiversity), ecology, and a lot of geology. The science information is historical and current, drawing on three-dimensional learning*, incorporating science practices to determine what factors affect extinction in general and specifically.
The integration of concepts help bring the science alive and relevant. I like the interactive side notes with website addresses and even more fun, QR codes. The QR codes link you to a variety of sources to dig deeper into specific content; these links alone make the book worthwhile to me. The activities include hands-on investigations, giving students opportunities to conduct experiments, to practice science while making connections, and to communicate their findings.

Promotional

•$40,000 marketing and publicity budget (for series)
•Exhibiting at national and regional conferences including:
•American Library Association (ALA: 60,000 members)
•National Science Teacher Association/STEM (NSTA: 60,000 members)
•American Association of School Librarians (AASL: 10,000 members)
•Public Library Association (PLA: 11,000 members)
•Texas Library Association (TLA: 7,000 members)
•National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS: 25,000 members)
•International Literacy Association (ILA: 60,000 members)
•Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE: 40,000 members)
•Advertising in the following publications: SLJ display ads (3–4 times for series)
•Booklist/Booklinks display ads (3–4 times)
•Booklist/Booklinks online ads Follett Library Ingram (Children's Advance 2 times)
•Baker & Taylor (Growing Minds)
•Publicity and promotion in conjunction with the author's speaking engagements at bookstores, libraries, schools, museums, events, and conferences. Extensive social media outreach via Facebook , Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, LinkedIn, and author's website at

Long Description

Have you seen a dodo bird recently? Do you have mastodons playing in your back yard? Not likely--these species are both extinct, which means the entire population has died out. More than 99 percent of all species, or about 5 billion, have gone extinct since life first formed on Earth 4.5 billion years ago. Some of those species went extinct at the same time in an event know as a mass extinction.What type of event could cause such a massive die off? This is a question that scientists have asked for decades as they explore the causes of extinction. In Extinction: What Happened to the Dinosaurs, Mastodons, and Dodo Birds? readers ages 9 to 12 learn about the scientific investigative work necessary to answer these questions and find the culprit behind mass extinctions. Follow the scientists as they look at all potential reasons for extinction, including asteroid impacts, massive volcanic eruptions, excessive gases in the atmosphere, climate change, and more.Where do scientists find clues to help them answer their questions? In rocks--scientists travel the globe to excavate the evidence. They look for fossils that might tell them what lived before an extinction and what lived after. They also examine the chemical elements in rocks at the boundaries between geologic eras, as well as the structure of rocks. As they follow the evidence, the pieces of the puzzle come together to form a clearer picture of events that happened millions of years ago, whether it's an asteroid strike or a massive volcanic eruption.Extinction is not just a thing of the past. It is happening right now, at a higher rate than is typical. Because of this, there is debate about whether or not the presence of humans on Earth is having the same effect as an asteroid strike or a massive volcanic eruption. Are we currently experiencing the sixth mass extinction? And if so, what are the causes? Can we stop it?Extinction: What Happened to the Dinosaurs, Mastodons, and Dodo Birds? includes hands-on activities and critical thinking exercises to encourage readers to consider humans' role in the current extinction, what we can learn from past extinction events, and how they can be part of efforts to prevent extinction. Hands-on activities, a fun narrative style, interesting facts, species spotlights, and links to primary sources combine to bring the subject of extinction to life in a fun and engaging way.

Review Quote (previous edition)

Reviews for other titles in the series: Microbes: Discover an Unseen World with 25 Projects Booklist: "Making microbes an engaging topic for young readers is no easy task, but by marshaling comic-book-style illustrations and plenty of relatable examples, this book will be an appealing choice for the science classroom and the library shelf. Essential questions are introduced at the start of each chapter and are repeated at that chapter's close to reinforce the main concepts and encourage metacognition. Twenty-five experiments expound on concepts such as understanding herd immunity, viewing bacteria cultures, diagnosing infectious disease, and studying decomposition. Access to more information is made easy through the scannable QR codes and keyword search prompts that are embedded in the marginalia. By discussing the ways the microbes grow and thrive, this offers plenty of practical advice for staying healthy and preventing infection. As a series of fun experiments in a dynamic layout that also remains faithful to the basic tenets of scientific inquiry, this is sure to engage young biologists."

Review Quote

Reviews for other titles in the series: Microbes: Discover an Unseen World with 25 Projects Booklist: "Making microbes an engaging topic for young readers is no easy task, but by marshaling comic-book-style illustrations and plenty of relatable examples, this book will be an appealing choice for the science classroom and the library shelf. Essential questions are introduced at the start of each chapter and are repeated at that chapter's close to reinforce the main concepts and encourage metacognition. Twenty-five experiments expound on concepts such as understanding herd immunity, viewing bacteria cultures, diagnosing infectious disease, and studying decomposition. Access to more information is made easy through the scannable QR codes and keyword search prompts that are embedded in the marginalia. By discussing the ways the microbes grow and thrive, this offers plenty of practical advice for staying healthy and preventing infection. As a series of fun experiments in a dynamic layout that also remains faithful to the basic tenets of scientific inquiry, this is sure to engage young biologists."

Promotional "Headline"

*$40,000 marketing and publicity budget (for series) *Exhibiting at national and regional conferences including: *American Library Association (ALA: 60,000 members) *National Science Teacher Association/STEM (NSTA: 60,000 members) *American Association of School Librarians (AASL: 10,000 members) *Public Library Association (PLA: 11,000 members) *Texas Library Association (TLA: 7,000 members) *National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS: 25,000 members) *International Literacy Association (ILA: 60,000 members) *Association for Middle Level Education (AMLE: 40,000 members) *Advertising in the following publications: SLJ display ads (3-4 times for series) *Booklist/Booklinks display ads (3-4 times) *Booklist/Booklinks online ads Follett Library Ingram (Children's Advance 2 times) *Baker & Taylor (Growing Minds) *Publicity and promotion in conjunction with the author's speaking engagements at bookstores, libraries, schools, museums, events, and conferences. Extensive social media outreach via Facebook , Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, LinkedIn, and author's website at

Description for Sales People

* Introduces the subject of extinction in a narrative style that captures young readers' attention and interest. * Introduces students to the process scientists use to develop theories about extinction events. * Examines whether or not we are in, or are entering, the sixth mass extinction, making this title a very relevant and timely subject for young readers. * Fills a gap in children's literature which lacks books for this age group that fully cover the extinction topic, including all five of the previous mass extinctions. * Integrates STEM, social sciences, language arts, and environmentalism. * Meets many of the NSTA's NGSS curriculum standards for grades 4-6. * Invites students to think critically about their place in the world and how their actions ultimately impact Earth. * Uses an inquiry-based, open-ended investigative approach to encourage readers to reach their own conclusions and explore individual creativity. * Meets the Common Core state standards in language arts for reading informational text. * Guided Reading Levels and Lexile measurements indicate grade level and text complexity. * Links to online primary sources and other websites and videos enhance the learning and engage readers in inspired independent study.

Details