About the book
Take a colourful tour through the prehistoric animal kingdom with this hilarious collection of non-fiction comics from award-winning author Mike Barfield and illustrator Paula Bossio.
From the earliest life forms living under the ocean, to the most fearsome dinosaurs, all the way through to early mammals like the woolly mammoth, this book tells the story of what life was really like on early Earth. Discover what these animals looked like, where they lived and how they survived (or didn’t) in the most extreme conditions.
Split into chapters covering the Paleozoic, Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras, the book covers animals from all over the world, with each one telling its own life story. Also featured are ‘Dead Cool’ pages showing some of the stranger animals of each period, and ‘Living Legends’ pages looking at the true survivors who are still around today.
This is a funny, accessible guide to the astonishing animals who once thrived on a planet that looked very different to the world of today.
ISBN: 9781780559322
What did the judges think?
Hollywood science advisor and dinosaur expert Professor Steve Brusatte said: “The science in this book is spot on, and the comic book style is really engaging. I especially appreciate that it covers all prehistoric life, not just dinosaurs; it manages to cover huge ground.”
About the author and illustrator
Mike Barfield has been wild about animals from an early age. His love of nature took him to King’s College London where he gained a first-class honours degree in botany and zoology. After a career in comedy writing for TV and radio, he turned to creating award-winning non-fiction for children built on his love of science and finding things out. He is the winner of the Blue Peter Children’s Book Award 2021 in the ‘Best Book with Facts’ category, and has also been shortlisted for the Royal Society Young People's Book Prize, the Association for Science Education Children’s Book Prize (twice) and the De Bary Award for Outstanding Children’s Science Books (twice).
Paula Bossio is a Colombian artist and illustrator. Her work has received many awards in Japan, Korea, India, Italy, Mexico and Colombia. Paula loves to create whimsical and profound stories told through charming characters, vibrant colours and mixed media techniques. She is the illustrator of Where in the World?, Search Through Time, The Wild Life of Animals and The World at Night.
Mike Barfield
