Dinosaurs to Dodos: An Encyclopedia of Extinct Animals

by Don Lessem

This comprehensive reference book with four-color illustrations throughout provides middle readers with a colorful guide to Earth's many extinct animals, along with information as to what led to and finally caused their demise.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Dinosaurs, Science, Prehistory, Childrens

112 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1999

Reviews

[River · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was very interesting!
I loved seeing all the fossils.
I really enjoyed this book but I wonder if there are any books that just have One period in extinction history. Other than that this book was very interesting!

[Elizabeth Seals · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of the old books I read when I was little. Not only did it introduce me to more dinosaurs and the past life but it also introduced me to dodos (my absolute favourite). Even though it is definitely for juveniles it was still a good read as an adult.

[Cheryl]

Not an encyclopedia. Organized as a timeline. But difficult to read, as so much is going on. Since it's so old, relatively speaking, I skimmed. The galleries are somewhat interesting. Might spark further interest in the subjects.

April 2025

[Haley Hoenke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Science, Nature, Dinosaurs, Extinction

[Jesse Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good

[Natalie]

2022 WG library reading challenge

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Glanced through this and read about the different creatures! Interesting!

[Ashleigh De nicola]

I recommend this book to animal or nature lovers. It has almost anything and everything you need to know about nature. I think boys would really love this book because of the dinosaurs. Not only is it about dinosaurs, but the history. It’s a child’s encyclopedia pretty much. I found myself getting lost in some of the pictures and information while reading it. It’s all about where things came from and how what we have now developed and this book does a great way in explaining it!

[David Corleto-Bales · Rating 4 out of 5]

A poignant and informative book featuring paintings and descriptions of extinct animals from the Jurassic period all the way to contemporary times. The dodo was a strikingly ugly animal.

[Isaac Maddox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish they kept all the periods in different chapters instead of putting 2 or 3 in the same chapter.