Ken Marantz and Sylvia Marantz (Children's Literature)
The huge prehistoric beasts are introduced in jaunty rhymed couplets as “Fuzzy, shaggy, snarly, snaggy, wonderful woolly mammoths!” Verses with refrains detail the lives and habits of the mammoths as they move south for the winter, having “packed their trunks.” As mothers protect their young, they move across the steppes and rivers, past storms and predators, to the snow-free south. Then in the spring they start north again. Cyrus’s vigorous black line scratchboard, double-page scenes are tinted with watercolor washes that mostly chill us. But the artist’s depictions of the lacy bare branches of the landscape’s trees and the curly twists of the mammoths’ hairy coats are visually striking. Cyrus creates a sequence of esthetic variations as the animals march onward, changing perspective while focusing on bits of action to maintain our interest. The verses become captions for the visual dramas. A note from the author adds additional information about mammoths. 2006, Harcourt, $16.00. Ages 4 to 8.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, March 15, 2006 (Vol. 74, No. 6))
With mountainous dignity, mammoths lumber across wide prehistoric landscapes as Wheeler traces their ancient annual round in verse: "Come colder days, those mammoth herds / migrated south, just like the birds. / Their menu had to be improved, / so mammoths packed their trunks and moved." Limning heavy tusks and each shaggy lock in strong lines and rich golden hues, Cyrus views the page-filling pachyderms from low angles, capturing a sense of their massive presence as they loom over small trees, plod through snow storms, gather in a defensive circle at the sight of a saber-toothed tiger and paddle, trunks up across deep water. (Wheeler notes at the outset that scientists extrapolate mammoth behavior from watching modern elephants.) Young audiences will be riveted by this compelling introduction, and rightly tempted to echo the awed refrain: "Big and bulky, / huge and hulky, / wide and woolly mammoths!" 2006, Harcourt, 32p, $16.00. Category: Picture book nonfiction. Ages 7 to 9. Starred Review. © 2006 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Teresa F. Bettac (Science Books and Films (Vol. 42, No. 4))
Mammoths on the Move, written by Lisa Wheeler and illustrated by Kurt Cyrus, is a unique combination of science and art. “A Note from the Author,” on the very first page, presents the basic science facts relating to mammoths. The rest of the story is told in rhyme, using descriptive adjectives and adverbs to highlight the narrative. Even the text type helps to tell the tale, with the use of bold black type separated by bold red type with exclamation points to describe the woolly mammoths. The artwork is stunning. The mammoths are exquisitely illustrated, with each hair carefully delineated and highlighted. The earthy tones and colors establish a feel of a time long ago. Very young children will enjoy the rhyming structure of the book and will take great pleasure in the alliteration used throughout the story. In a very short time, they will be able to read along with the text. Mammoths on the Move is a book that can be read over and over again. It is a great book to purchase as a gift for an individual child. It is also a good-quality book for preschools and elementary schools to purchase for early readers. Even older students will enjoy the rhyming rhythms and beautiful illustrations. Teachers in the upper grades can use this charming book as an exceptional example of the combination of two disciplines: poetry and science. C.I.P. Highly Recommended, Grades PreK-6. 2006, Harcourt Brace, 32pp., $16.00. Ages 4 to 12.

Horn Book (The Horn Book Guide, Fall 2006)
This informative presentation of the extinct animals' anatomy, care of their young, and migration across the ice fields is marred by sing-song rhymes with repetitive tag lines ("wonderful woolly mammoths!" "wise and woolly mammoths!"). The watercolor-and-scratchboard illustrations portray the mammoths and their wintry landscapes in sharp contrasts of black, white, and lustrous colors. Category: Nonfiction-Science. 2006, Harcourt, 32pp, 16.00. Ages 5 to 9. Rating: 4: Recommended, with minor flaws.