Trapped in Tar: Fossils from the Ice Age - Softcover

Caroline Arnold always loved books, but as a child she never thought of writing as a career. Born in Pittsburgh, she grew up in Minneapolis and studied art at Grinnell College and the University of Iowa. "It was only after my children were born that I became acquainted with children's books and it occurred to me that I could use my training to become a children's book illustrator. I soon realized that I needed a text to go with the pictures, and the more I wrote, the more I realized that I liked writing as much as or more than drawing. I've always been fascinated by the natural world and love to go to the parks and museums. Perhaps that is why so many of my books are about scientific topics." Arnold is now the award-winning author of more than 100 books for children. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, a neuroscientist, and teaches writing at UCLA Extension. For more information visit www.carolinearnoldbooks.com.

Grade 4-6 While other books about fossils of the Ice Age may mention the discoveries of the La Brea Tar Pits, this one deals with them exclusively in an explanation of one of the world's richest storehouses of ice-age fossils. The La Brea Tar Pits have yielded thousands of bones of animals which were trapped there, and one human skeleton. The questions of how the animals became trapped, how the discoveries were made, and what efforts have been undertaken to preserve and study them are treated in a straightforward manner. Special emphasis is given to the George C. Page museum, which was built to house the La Brea discoveries. Most of the photographs are of museum exhibits. The most spectacular finds, mammoths and sabertooth cats, are given more extensive treatment. Black-and-white photographs of the reconstructed skeletons somehow fail to catch the drama of the animals. Some photos of fiberglass reconstructions of the fully-fleshed animals also appear, but the unimaginative format lessens the impact. Nevertheless, this would be a worthwhile book for children whose families are anticipating a visit to a museum that houses fossils of ice-age animals. David N. Pauli, Northern Waters Library Service, Ashland, Wis.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.