This striking large­format non­fiction book is a marvel — meticulously researched, engagingly presented and endlessly fascinating. Highly recommended.

Otago Daily Times

Fossils from Lost Worlds

Outstanding Science Book 2022, National Science Teachers Association/Children’s Book Council.

A large-format non-fiction picture book that describes the incredible creatures that once walked the Earth, with a lively mix of illustrations, comics and facts.

Written and illustrated by Hélène Rajcak and Damien Laverdunt, translated by Daniel Hahn.


  • Description

    Outstanding Science Book 2022, National Science Teachers Association/Children’s Book Council.

    Walk in the footsteps of the first fossil researchers to discover the earliest animal life on Earth.

    Explore the story of a spiny sea worm without tail or head, a walking fish, a peaceful sea dragon, and many other incredible creatures.

    Told through comics, illustrations and data, Fossils from Lost Worlds is also a fascinating insight into paleontology itself. It shows how science is a process of thinking and rethinking, questioning and learning. Through a timeline of animal reconstructions and major discoveries, we can track the beliefs and theories that have brought our knowledge to where it is today.


  • Book Details

    Country of Origin France
    Reader Age 11-14 year, 8-12 year
    Book Size
    ISBN

  • Reviews

    1. Puget Sound Council for the Review of Children’s and Young Adult Literature

      Superior in style, liveliness, integrity and format.

    2. Otago Daily Times

      This striking large­format non­fiction book is a marvel — meticulously researched, engagingly presented and endlessly fascinating. Highly recommended.

    3. World Kid Lit

      I love Fossils from Lost Worlds not only for its superb, detailed illustrations, but also for how it manages to engage readers from so many different angles. Just the kind of fascinating book that can provide endless hours of intrigue and entertainment and lead to many different factoids for your next trivia game.

    4. Kids Lit is Lit

      Flipping through this hefty over sized book is a delight for those looking for information beyond the regular cast of dinosaurs mentioned in children’s books!

    5. English Association

      An informative, comprehensive awe-inspiring introduction to fossils for children aged 7+.

    6. School Library Association Magazine

      This book examines some amazing palaeontological discoveries and asks major questions about how the world began.

    7. Reading Time – Australian Children’s Book Council

      An exquisitely crafted book that could be read cover to cover or flipped open to a random page allowing a child to focus on learning about one fossil from the past.

    8. Paula Green, Poetry Box

      Fossils from Lost Worlds is a large-size hardback book of fascinations. Pick up this glorious book and head back into the distant past and go digging.

    9. Collected #27 SLANZA

      This book is full of beautiful and detailed illustrations showcasing the geological process of how fossils are created then uncovered over time, as well as information about the ‘fossil-finders’ and the science of palaeontology. If your students love fossils and love poring over ‘over-sized’ books and sharing fact finding missions with their peers, then Fossils From Lost Worlds is a must buy!

    10. Radio New Zealand – Nine to Noon

      The text is really easily understood and yet it’s still quite comprehensive scientifically. Lots of facts, simply expressed.

    11. Good Reading

      The illustrations jumping out of each page help to tell the incredible stories.

    12. Readings

      This ‘treasure trove of information the whole family can savour and enjoy for many years’ is highly recommended.

    13. The Tiny Activist

      A book you can read cover to cover, flip to a section, or just open a random page and learn something.

    14. Mai Story Book Library

      This incredible over-sized nonfiction book gives fascinating insight into some of the earliest animals to live on Earth.

    15. Liam aged 9, Kids Book Buzz

      This book is huge and has incredible illustrations!

    16. Book-marked

      With humour, elegant and richly detailed illustrations, a truly wonderful range of fossils and prehistoric creatures to enjoy, and an addictive sense of adventure throughout, this is learning made fun… and funny!

    17. School Reading List

      This is a treasure for any school library and a work of art to pore over at home.

    18. Red Reading Hub

      Most young children are dinosaur and prehistoric animal mad; this book will take those with an abiding interest in the topic, deeper in and further back in time.

    19. Just Imagine

      a beautifully presented book, full of vivid illustrations married to detailed scientific content…There is something for everyone here – whether you already have an interest in palaeontology or think that fossils are not relevant at all, the learning potential of the book is fantastic, particularly as it helps us to understand that scientists are always working, always exploring, and often changing their minds about previous findings.

    20. ReadPlus

      Highly recommended. The fascinating information conveyed is not onerous or complicated and will appeal to younger children and reluctant older readers.

    21. Readings

      this multi-layered book is a must for anyone interested in palaeontology. And if that’s not you, it will definitely change your mind. This is a treasure trove of information the whole family can savour and enjoy for many years, and highly recommended for ages 8+.

    22. The Wall Street Journal

      The subdued palette and inky lines of Hélène Rajcak’s pictures give the book a stylish feel, while its lively, graphic-novel-style layout conveys a sense of humor about dinosaurs, fossils and the work of those who study them.

    23. Youth Services Book Review

      5. This oversized, stylish book invites readers to pour over its intricate pen-and-ink/watercolor illustrations and its narrative passages interlaced with tongue-in-cheek talk bubbles…Book design steals the show here. The thick, cream-colored pages make a great backdrop for the terrific artwork…truly unique and beautiful.

    24. The New York Times

      The illustrations use an elegant color palette but don’t sacrifice adventure, humor or information for design…The careful curation of this parade of creatures takes readers on a comprehensive journey through the fossil record. I enjoyed the paleontologists, depicted in droll graphic-novel-style comics interspersed throughout, almost as much as I enjoyed the paleontology.


Available worldwide from your local bookstore or online.

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