This book is about the discovery of and implications of the Ashfall Fossil Beds in Antelope County, Nebraska. The author asserts that 10-12 million years ago (sigh!) there was an explosion in what is now near Yellowstone that produced a cloud of volcanic ash that drifted eastward causing the animals to inhale it and die. Fossil remains were first found in 1971 by a 17-year old farmer when a juvenile rhino skull was poking out of the ground. The site is still being excavated. To date they have found over 19 skeletal remains of hippo like creatures related to the horse, camels, sabre-toothed tigers, and a dog-like bone crushing mammal, among others. Great quick overview of the discovery and remains. It might be a YA book, though that is not indicated. 135 pages ( )

Picture this: a vast grassy plain, dotted here and there with trees. A small herd of rhinos thunders by. An elephant trumpets in the distance. A long, giraffe-like neck stretches into the branches of a tree. A herd of grazing mammals-are those zebras? -lift their heads, all of them suddenly nervous. And no wonder. An animal that looks a bit like a hyena rustles the grass nearby. Where is this exotic location? It must be Africa. Or is it?