The beasts really are beautiful (and beautifully designed for survival) in this natural science tour for readers 6 to 10. Illustrated throughout with striking two-page spreads that resemble museum exhibits, the book compares more than 250 species—some ancient, some only recently extinct, and some still with us today—grouped by 29 particular themes. Here are armored animals, from Stegosaurus to the pink fairy armadillo; hoofed runners, from the llama-like Poebrotherium (long gone) to the aurochs (wild cattle that survived until the 17th century); and formidable flyers like Quetzalcoatlus, the bat-like Icaronycteris, and the great black-backed gull.