Uncovering the Mysterious Woolly Mammoth
post written by Emma Filbrun
Title: Uncovering the Mysterious Woolly Mammoth
Author: Michael and Beverly Oard
Major Themes: Ice Age, Non-Fiction Science
Synopsis: What was life like at the end of the Ice Age, and why did the mammoths go extinct?
I have been fascinated by woolly mammoths, especially the ones found frozen in Siberia, ever since I read an article about them in a children’s magazine from National Geographic back in the early 1980s! About 20 years later, we went to the Creation Museum in Kentucky, and in their bookstore I saw the book Uncovering the Mysterious Woolly Mammoth. As soon as I saw it I knew it was one I wanted to read. I have also read it aloud to my children a couple of times now, and they also found it quite interesting.
Most of this book is a story about two tribes living in Siberia and Europe near the end of the Ice Age. Tungus’s Siberian tribe was finding it more and more difficult to live as the climate changed. Winters were becoming bitterly cold, and dust storms howled for days or weeks at a time. Animals were becoming scarce, as well, and even the once-plentiful woolly mammoths who could handle the cold were disappearing fast. When a time of better weather came, the tribe took off for safety.
Jabeth’s tribe in central Europe were developing a better life, and had houses now, rather than the caves they lived in in the book Life in the Great Ice Age. They were also learning to farm as well as hunt. When Tungus and his people arrived, Jabeth and his tribe befriended them and the two peoples began to work together. Jabeth and his tribe also taught the Siberians about the one true God.
The last several chapters tell more of the technical side of the Ice Age. Based on what we know about Noah’s Flood and its aftermath, the mechanisms that could have caused the Ice Age are described, and then the climatic changes that may have caused the extinction of the mammoths. There are even explanations that make sense for why some have been found frozen, and how their last meals could have been preserved. Uncovering the Mysterious Woolly Mammoth is a fascinating account of what life might have been like thousands of years ago, and also very informative. It is beautifully illustrated with full-color paintings.
Read Aloud—Ages 5 – 8, 8 – 12
Reading Independently—Ages 10 – 12, 12 – 15, 15 and Above, Adults
Keywords: Ice Age, Mammoths, Extinct Animals, Non-Fiction Science, Picture Books, Ancient Times