TRAPPED IN THE TAR PIT

Discover a time capsule of preserved ancient animals hidden within L.A.’s La Brea Tar Pits.

Dinosaurs are always a fan favorite, and a veritable plethora of relevant books exist to tempt youngsters, but what about the Pleistocene, with its fascinatingly strange ground sloths or dire wolves? Stremer illuminates this prehistoric period by sharing a secret: In a bustling Southern California neighborhood, under an innocuous-looking smudge of sticky tar, lie thousands of fossilized animal, insect, and plant remains. Jumping backward in time, the narrative follows an endearing mammoth who mistakes the tar for a watering hole and becomes trapped. Its struggle is tense and dramatic; young readers will feel for the animal as it trumpets for help, eyes wide with fear. Abruptly, the language becomes more clinical. Pitched to a young audience, the text clearly conveys facts about fossilization, covers the arrival of Native Americans and then European settlers, and explains why the site is so scientifically significant. Stremer never explicitly acknowledges, however, that the skull the scientists are excavating once belonged to the frightened mammoth, a potentially confusing omission. Strong backmatter provides more information on the tar pits; readers will appreciate the useful key of all the creatures depicted. Clean, earth-toned digital cartoon illustrations portray both extinct and current animals in easy-to-interpret tableaux. Human characters are diverse.

A captivating addition to the paleontology shelf.