Amazon.com (ISBN 0439264723, Paperback)

In 1997, a 9-year-old nomadic reindeer herder came across a pair of woolly mammoth tusks buried in the frozen tundra of Siberia. Knowing that the ivory in these tusks was worth a lot of money, young Simion Jarkov and his brother Gennadi removed the tusks and set out to sell them. But when a French explorer named Bernard Buigues heard about the discovery, he started wondering if the entire mammoth carcass could be removed intact from the permafrost. Thus began the first recovery of a complete adult woolly mammoth.

Presented partially in diary form, Woolly Mammoth tells the fascinating story of the excavation of the Jarkov mammoth. Readers will also learn what mammoths looked like, where they lived, what they ate, how they spent their days, and try to guess how they became extinct. Intriguing illustrations give a sense of life hundreds of thousands of years ago, while photographs reveal the thrill of discovery and the scientific unraveling of the mystery surrounding these ancient beasts. Young readers will even be given an opportunity to ponder the ethics of DNA cloning. Windsor Chorlton's writing reflects the excitement of the scientists--and the world--even as he provides tons of basic (though remarkable) information. (Ages 9 and older) --Emilie Coulter