Awakening late one night, Oscar looks out of his window and spies a woolly mammoth walking by. Timothy, the mammoth in question, is looking for his baby brother Teddy, and soon Oscar has joined him on the hunt. The two are led on a crazy madcap chase through The Curious Museum, where they meet many interesting creatures, all come alive in this magical hour, and learn something about them. Eventually, having visited practically every corner of the museum, they find themselves in the hall of Extinct and Endangered Creatures, where the Woolly Mammoth family reside...

Having encountered illustrator Karl James Mountford's marvelous work before, in the wonderfully interactive holiday title, Last Stop on the Reindeer Express, I was eager to pick up The Curious Case of the Missing Mammoth, which features the same winsome visuals and fascinating lift-the-flap features as that other book. I was not disappointed, finding this one an entertaining picture-book romp, complete with engaging story and immensely appealing artwork. There's some stealth education going on as well, as many of the flaps lift up to reveal information about various species and objects encountered by Oscar and Timothy, during the course of their search. Recommended to young woolly mammoth fans, as well as to those looking for more interactive picture-books. ( )

A picturebook pretending to be a wild rumpus hullabaloo. Child chases adorable mammoth through museum. Pictures are lovely, crowded double page spreads. Writer sneaks in education via pictureflaps with random nuggets of data ; very ingenious, but any child can spot the pill hidden in the jam. ( )