We begin this story on the dry riverbeds of inland Australia, though we’re told it wasn’t always this way. One hundred million years ago the vast Eromanga Sea covered this land, dividing Australia. Dinosaurs roamed, fish teemed beneath the water and pterosaurs soared overhead.
Among the northern islands of the sea, a pair of pterosaurs build a nest. Two eggs are laid and Ferrodraco, their mother, watches over them until they hatch. She teaches her flaplings to hunt in the rock pools and, within weeks, they are airborne.
One day, while hunting, Ferrodraco is swept far away by a violent cyclone. Carried south to distant mountains, she shelters on a cliff ledge overlooking grazing titanosaurs below. Once rested, she begins the long journey home. Along the way she sees many creatures of her time – migrating Muttaburrasaurus, ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs hunting beneath the waves, and schools of fish flashing below.
This is a gentle story that introduces young readers to the prehistoric animals that lived during the age of the pterosaurs. In the back of the book are information pages that provide further facts about these great animals.
Plant’s illustrations capture both the beauty and wonder of this ancient world, while the text makes the science feel accessible and exciting.
Reviewed by Jane Stephens
Age Guide 6+
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andrew Plant trained as a zoologist, but has been an illustrator and author for over 30 years. He loves creating stories about animals, whether they are alive or extinct.
Read more on Andrew Plant’s website.
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