Atlas of Extinct Animals

The first book in the Large Encyclopedias series presents animals that once walked the Earth but have vanished due to the actions of humankind.
In Atlas of Extinct Animals, award-winning poet Radek Malý tells the stories of forty-one extinct species and studies the causes of their sad demise. The large-format in Atlas of Extinct Animals is supplemented with beautifully expressive full-page illustrations by gifted artist Jiri Grbavcic and detailed pictures by renowned scientific illustrator Pavel Dvorsky.
The gorgeous, detailed depictions and descriptions of species and their eventual extinction serves as a reminder and a warning of how much life has already disappeared from the Earth. The atlas also shows that species continue to disappear. As we get closer and closer to present day, we are introduced to creatures that still existed in recent years, like the Zanzibar leopard (until 1996) and the Chinese river dolphin (until 2007). And in the end, we are left with a bitter question: Which creature will next be added to this atlas?
This book was selected by White Ravens 2020 for the annual catalog of book recommendations in the field of international children's and youth literature.

List of contents

Remembering the dead
Mammoth
Megaladapis
Giant moa
Haast's eagle
Elephant bird
Aurochs
Dodo
Rodrigues rail
Steller's sea cow
Saddle-backed rodrigues giant tortoise
Bluebuck
Sardinian pika
Mascarene parrot
Great auk
Galápagos tortoise
Atlas bear
Falkland islands wolf
Quagga
Tarpan
Lyall's wren
Long-tailed hopping mouse
Rocky mountain locust
Bulldog rat
Japanese wolf
Huia
Passenger pigeon
Carolina parakeet
Achdari
Heath hen
Thylacin
Grey's wallaby
Pink-headed duck
Caribbean monk seal
Tecopa pupfish
Alaotra grebe
Golden toad
' 'u
Zanzibar leopard
Pyrenean ibex
Chinese river dolphin
Neanderthal

About the author

Radek Maly is a Czech writer, poet, translator, and university teacher. He has achieved international success through his young adult book Franz Kafka: A Man of His Time and Our Own (2017) and his picture book Our Cat’s Day (2023). His non-fiction books Atlas of Extinct Animals (2021), Atlas of Endangered Animals (2021), and Atlas of Prehistoric Animals (2025) have been translated into several languages, and his poetry collection for children Postman Wind (2011) was entered on the IBBY Honour List.
Pavel Dvorsky is a Czech commercial and graphic artist who has illustrated dozens of science and popular science publications. From 1966–1972, he studied at the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague, and afterward returned to Brno, where he established the Department of Graphic Design and Illustration at the Secondary School for Art and Design. In reconstructing the prehistoric world, Dvorsky has collaborated with many anthropologists and archeologists. In addition to his commercial and graphic artwork, he has designed stamps for the Czech Post Office since 2004. He was born in Brno in 1946.

Summary

The first book in the Large Encyclopedias series presents animals that once walked the Earth but have vanished due to the actions of humankind.

In Atlas of Extinct Animals, award-winning poet Radek Malý tells the stories of forty-one extinct species and studies the causes of their sad demise. The large-format in Atlas of Extinct Animals is supplemented with beautifully expressive full-page illustrations by gifted artist Jiri Grbavcic and detailed pictures by renowned scientific illustrator Pavel Dvorsky.

The gorgeous, detailed depictions and descriptions of species and their eventual extinction serves as a reminder and a warning of how much life has already disappeared from the Earth. The atlas also shows that species continue to disappear. As we get closer and closer to present day, we are introduced to creatures that still existed in recent years, like the Zanzibar leopard (until 1996) and the Chinese river dolphin (until 2007). And in the end, we are left with a bitter question: Which creature will next be added to this atlas?

This book was selected by White Ravens 2020 for the annual catalog of book recommendations in the field of international children’s and youth literature.

Foreword

Publicity 

• Pitch reviews in publishing and library trades (e.g., Publishers Weekly, SLJ, Booklist, Kirkus, Shelf Awareness, Horn Book)  
• Mail to long and short lead media contacts  
• Pitch reviews and interviews to appropriate blogs and websites 
• Pitch launch press release to PW on Albatros Media’s arrival in the U.S.  

 Marketing and promotion 

• Send checklist for online journals, influencers, bloggers, review centers
  Digital
• Social media content, where appropriate 
• Include in themed Pinterest boards 
  School and library marketing 
• Conferences 
• TLA, NSTA, ALA (and other shows, as appropriate) 
• Presentations to library selector groups in Chicago, New York, Boston, Washington D.C. 

Submit for awards as appropriate

Additional text

A highly informative, no-nonsense reference text that provides insights into a variety of 41 extinct animals. Dates of extinction, scientific illustration, currently living reference animal for size comparisons, scientific name, common names, map of regional locations, and historic accounts are included. Causes for extinction are listed, where possible, based off current information. A superb resource for middle grade and high school students researching climate, ecological, and human impacts on fauna. - Educator 901032

Report

"I loved that this book included facts that the typical books I read hadn't informed me about so I was learning new things as I read. I loved getting to see how ridiculously large some of these creatures were and then in contrast how small some of them were. I loved that to show the size comparison there was either a silhouette of a full body or a silhouette of a hand. I appreciated that each page opened with a large image of what professionals believe these creatures look like before providing you with information. I also like that on top of the information we get a glimpse of the similar creatures we are going to learn about. I appreciate that this short evolutionary guide is given not only in text but also through the images. Final Verdict: Atlas of Prehistoric Animals is a great encyclopedia for children ages 9 and up who are fascinated by dinosaurs. This book will teach them about the oldest animals on earth which they may already know and introduce them to animals that they have yet to learn about. Adults will also enjoy learning new facts about each of these animals that they may never have heard about either." -Adrien Guerra, YA Books Central
"The large-format Atlas of Extinct Animals is supplemented with beautifully expressive full-page illustrations by gifted artist Jirí Grbavcic and detailed pictures by renowned scientific illustrator and multitalented Czech artist Pavel Dvorský. Dvorský reconstructs the prehistoric world in collaboration with archaeologists. The author hopes that the memory of species already gone whose stories are told here will be both our warning and our guide." -Vermont Country Book News
"Radek Maly's Atlas of Extinct Animals, an oversized survey containing exceptionally beautiful illustrations by Jiri Grbavcic and Pavel Dvorsky. Elementary-grade readers will relish the full-page science drawings that accompany facts about the Falkland Islands Wolf, the Huia bird, the Long-Tailed Hopping Mouse, and others. Exceptional book especially recommended for creating eye-catching library displays." Donovans Literary Services
"Gorgeous book, more for older kids, teens, and adults. The artwork is phenomenal, and the information seems solid and well presented." -Librarian, East Hartford Public Library
"I loved reading this compilation of the intriguing and beautiful animals that used to inhabit our planet. The illustrations were an added bonus, and contributed needed visual aid in picturing not only the animal itself but the environment that they would have inhabited. An interesting, beautiful, and useful addition to any and all animal lovers library." Tina Hewitt, blogger
"I cried when I read this beautifully illustrated account of 41 species and their heartbreaking demise. How could these gorgeous creatures, including the Zanzibar leopard and the Chinese river dolphin, no longer exist and what can the world do to prevent another species from being added to the list? Geared to readers aged 9 to 17, but an important reminder for adults too of the fragility of life." Netgalley-Reviewer
"A highly informative, no-nonsense reference text that provides insights into a variety of 41 extinct animals. A superb resource for middle grade and high school students researching climate, ecological, and human impacts on fauna." Netgalley-Educator

Product details

• Authors: Radek Maly, Radek Malý
• Assisted by: Pavel Dvorsky (Illustration), Jiri Grbavcic (Illustration)
• Publisher: Albatros Media
• Languages: English
• Age Recommendation: from age 9
• Product format: Hardback
• Released: 26.04.2022
• EAN: 9788000061269
• ISBN: 978-80-0-006126-9
• No. of pages: 88
• Dimensions: 237 mm x 17 mm x 339 mm
• Weight: 878 g
• Illustrations: Color illustrations throughout
• Series: Large Encyclopedias of Animals; Large Encyclopedias
• Subjects: Children's and young people's books > Non-fiction books / Non-fiction picture books > Animals, plants, nature, the environment; JUVENILE NONFICTION / Animals / General, JUVENILE NONFICTION / Science & Nature / Zoology, JUVENILE NONFICTION / Reference / Atlases