This month's #kidlitpicks theme is "prehistoric," and it isn't a stretch to say that I was super nervous -- I don't have many books about dinosaurs and prehistoric life. So when I remembered that I have The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth, by Ellie Hattie and Karl James Mountford, I knew it'd be a perfect fit. After all, it touches on quite a bit of prehistoric life (and I had to special order it from the UK because I saw the cover and just couldn't wait)!
Oscar wakes up one night when he hears a strange stomping sound from outside his window and discovers that it's an adult woolly mammoth chasing a baby woolly mammoth. The boy joins the adult and they quickly chase the baby to the local museum where everyone has come to life for the night. As Oscar and the adult woolly mammoth search for the baby, they make their way through the museum and share a magical night talking to dinosaurs, knights, mummies, and more. They find the baby woolly mammoth in the nick of time, of course, bringing the sweet fun story to a touching conclusion.
The book is beautifully designed. The cover is expertly crafted so that it simultaneously hides the author's and illustrator's names and makes them a part of the book's history. Their names are carved onto a vase and inscribed on a book, so they become part of the relics in the museum, a small piece of the history they're depicting. The flaps within the book add even more fun, allowing readers to further explore animals and facts within the book. The flaps generally blend in with the rest of the spread so it's extra special to seek them out to see what's underneath.
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