The World’s Last Mammoth and Other Missing Marvels

This book delves into history looking at people, animals, locations and structures which have long since disappeared, so called ‘missing marvels’. It also finds modern day equivalents, opening young eyes to the wonders of the world around them. Organised into chapters with intriguing titles such as ‘Lost Leaders’, the book opens with the Magnificent Seven, i.e. the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (think Hanging Gardens of Babylon), then proceeds to go much further, identifying overlooked wonders absent from the top seven such as Stonehenge and modern day wonders such as The Sagrada Familia in Spain and the Statue of Liberty in New York.

Another big focus throughout the book is on missing people, some of whom may be well-known to young readers such as Cleopatra, whose burial site is unknown. Others, less so, such as Amelia Earhart, the airwoman who disappeared on an attempt at being the first woman to fly around the world. When it comes to extinct animals, we are not only introduced to the obvious suspects i.e. dinosaurs, but also lesser-known creatures; the Solitaire, a flightless bird which lived on an adjacent island to its much better-known neighbour the Dodo.

Well known mysteries, legends and myths such as King Arthur, the Loch Ness Monster and Big Foot are explored. Technological wonders including the Concorde and the doomed ship Titanic feature, as well as missing buildings such as The Crystal Palace, and on a bigger scale, missing cities including Herculaneum, which is still partly buried.

The book contains a fascinating array of facts which young readers will enjoy discovering. The back of the book includes a quiz to test what they remember and a page with space to record their own favourite wonders, people, places and pastimes.

This is a very successful book with an attractive and accessible graphic format. The colourful comic strip illustrations are engaging and there is lots of humour throughout.