In this rhyming, hilarious romp about a little-known facet of American history, Thomas Jefferson tries to disprove a French theory that those in the New World are puny and wussy by going in search of mammoth bones. In the New World called America big changes were a’brewing. Independence was declared with bold hurrahs and ballyhooing! The French feel threatened by America’s new freedom and confidence, as embodied by Count Buffon who claims that the “New World was a chilly, swampy place, filled with puny, scrawny creatures, every species, breed, and race.” Thomas Jefferson won’t stand his young country being insulted, so he sets out to prove Count Buffon wrong. He sends people across the country in search of an animal or animal bones to prove that creatures in the United States are big and strong and worthy. Hilarious, energetic, and a delight to read aloud, this book shines a light on this little-known slice of American history. Included in the back matter are an author’s note, who’s who and what’s what from American history, bibliography, and further reading.

What Kind of Book is Thomas Jefferson and the Mammoth Hunt

Reviews

Mom of Boys

5.25

This book has lots of great rhymes. It tells a fun story of Thomas Jefferson when America was first settled. The Count of Paris wrote a book saying that the New World had puny creatures and Thomas Jefferson wanted to prove him wrong. At the end of the book it has notes from the author and his resources which is always great to learn the real history behind a story like this.

Book Lists That Include This Book

Pocket Full of Colors: The Magical World of Mary Blair, Disney Artist Extraordinaire

This Little Trailblazer: A Girl Power Primer

The Crayon Man: The True Story of the Invention of Crayola Crayons

Books about biography

Books about history

Books about rhyming

The Creatives Behind the Book

Author

Carrie Clickard

Born in Michigan, Carrie Clickard has spent every free moment since with a book in her hand or one in her head waiting to be written. A band, drum corps and drama geek throughout high school, she graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in advertising and bad roommates. Having worn dozens of career hats including copywriter, pressroom manager, marketing VP and colorguard instructor, she decided to become an author and wear every hat she could imagine. Now an award winning author and poet, Carrie credits her writing success to a firm belief that dragons exist and that competitive baton twirling should be an Olympic sport. In addition to FBA silver medalist Dumpling Dreams, her work has been published in 12 countries and numerous magazines and anthologies. When she’s not safely tucked behind her computer monitor writing stories, Carrie tours the world in the company of family, friends and a four pound poodle named Pandora.

Illustrator

Nancy Carpenter

Nancy Carpenter is the illustrator of more than 40 children’s books and has received numerous honors for her work, including two Christopher Awards and the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award. She lives in Brooklyn with her family.