Book Review: Last of the Giants: The Rise and Fall of Earths Most Dominant Species by Jeff Campbell

Last of the Giants: The Rise and Fall of Earths Most Dominant Species by Jeff Campbell is a nonfiction book for children and adults. Today, an ancient world is vanishing right before our eyes: the age of giant animals. Over 40,000 years ago, the earth was ruled by megafauna: mammoths and mastodons, saber-toothed tigers and giant sloths. Of course, those creatures no longer exist, due to the evolution and arrival of the wildly adaptive human species, among other factors. Many more of the world's biggest and baddest creatures—including the black rhino, the dodo, giant tortoises, and the great auk—have vanished since our world became truly global. Last of the Giants chronicles those giant animals and apex predators who have been pushed to extinction in the modern era.

Last of the Giants is a highly informative book that will appeal to readers that love animals, care about the environment, and see the connection between the two. I was glad to read about animals I had never studied before, and see the thorough and thoughtful way their existence and extinction. The use of history and biology together give readers a better picture of how thirteen large animals became extinct, or nearly so. I really like that the author includes some hope for readers that some of these creatures, and others on the brink of extinction, might yet survive. This hope includes information on conservation efforts, which just might encourage young readers to make some effort and changes to help locally or with the larger efforts already in place.

Last of the Giants is a very interesting and informative book. I learned new things, and liked how the author made what could have been fairly dry reading quite engaging. This will be a valuable resources for anyone that wants to learn about extinction, for the environment and people can greatly effect the world around them, and the creatures we share it with.