Stuck! The Story of La Brea Tar Pits

A one-of-a-kind STEM gem! Join fellow science lovers in this creative non-fiction, poetical exploration surrounding the history, and little known origins, of the ice age and the La Brea Tar Pits--including what scientists are learning about climate change. For tens of thousands of years, animals and plants fell into the natural trap of what we now call the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. Millions of fossils, from hundreds of species, have been collected in this one unique site. Follow author Joyce Uglow's lyrical lines and Valerya Milovanova's evocative illustrations, guiding readers into an entire ecosystem of plants and animals--stuck! Thousands of years ago... Surrounded by sagebrush, Mugwort, and water fleas, Sloth searched: Browsing, Munching on grass and twigs, Seeking water. But stepped into sticky stuff instead. Sloth struggled. Slowed. Stopped. Stuck! Sidebars include details such as how changes in the shape of the dire wolf's skull and snout are tied to climate changes and that there are no dinosaurs among the fossils because they died out 63 million years ago. An author's note at the end provides additional historical and scientific details.

Uglow's rhythmic text traverses thousands of years as it tells the prehistoric tale of many fossils coming to exist in Los Angeles's La Brea Tar Pits. At book's opening, an unsuspecting Harland's Ground Sloth accidentally enters the pits' "oozing, oily stickiness," followed by hungry predators that also become stuck, eventually forming "menageries trapped together/ under seeping asphalt and sediment." A spread zips forward to the moment when oil field workers discover a "time capsule" of bones hiding within the pits, providing scientists with a window into the past. Washed in muddy hues, Milovanova's free-form illustrations include markings that seem scratched into each page's coloring--an apt approach given scientists' work to peer beneath the pits' surface in search of the region's prehistory. Back matter includes a glossary.

Like a sort of prehistoric rubbish bin filled to the brim, the sticky La Brea Tar Pits have been "collecting" victims and natural detritus since the Pleistocene epoch. Here Uglow invites readers to marvel at the amazing bulk and diversity of the well-preserved lode--over 3.5 million specimens, from microfossils to megafauna, have been extracted to date--and think about what researchers can learn from, as she puts it, an "entire ecosystem jumbled together," including "unlucky predators and prey in stacks." Along with cross-sectional views of thick subsurface tangles of bones, bugs, and plant material, Milovanova depicts both reconstructed ancient scenes of a giant ground sloth, dire wolves, and other dismayed, now-extinct creatures stuck in black tar and of modern workers systematically excavating and reconstructing skeletons. The author closes with more on how the tar pits were formed and have been explored, accompanied by an eye-widening list of plant and animal species that have been found in them. "The Tar Pits time capsule tells millions of stories," she writes, and cannot fail to "fill our hearts with wonder."

Thousands of years ago, animals that no longer roam our planet, like a Harlan's Ground Sloth, a saber-toothed Smilodon, and a pack of Dire wolves, approach what looks like a pond of water, only to find themselves trapped in the gooey syrup of the La Brea Tar Pits. The pits soften in the sun, trapping more and more creatures, and as time passes, they are covered with sediment, causing the remains of a myriad of creatures and plants to mix together in the goo. Discovered by oil field workers eons later outside of modern-day Los Angeles and then excavated, the remains found in the Tar Pits have helped scientists learn more about the Pleistocene Epoch--and may tell us not just about the past, but also the future, especially when it's revealed that the Pits are still active and evolving. Playful language and masterful illustrations make for a compelling read instead of a dry scientific tale, and while the list of animals that get stuck is long, the story never feels tedious. Milovanova's illustrations, which suggest cut paper and oil pastel, are rendered in rich earthy tones befitting a tar pit, with animals that leap at angles across and almost off the page until they get "Stuck! Trapped! Sunk!" in that sticky, powerful ooze. This stirring story and its dynamic illustrations may manage to enthrall even the least nature-focused kiddo, but any budding scientist will be thrilled to discover the informative and accessible backmatter, where more information includes a timeline, glossary, and list of trapped animals, potentially sparking a desire to learn even more about this viscous part of our planet.

Joyce Uglow writes poetic stories on topics from bees, trees, and families to ancient cave art and fossils trapped in asphalt seeps. She's a forever cheerleader for Team Education. She currently serves as SCBWI Wisconsin Assistant Regional Advisor.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.