Reviews
A Few Good Dinosaur Books
Fossils
Tell of Long Ago by Aliki
32pp. HarperCollins (1990).
Grade level: K–3
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science series. Newed:, 1972. A useful,
simple book about how fossils are made contains slight revisions
and new color illustrations that include lively children. Rev. 8/73.
 
Digging
for Bird-Dinosaurs: An Expedition to Madagascar by Nic Bishop
48 pp. Houghton (2000).
Grade level: 4–6
Bishop situates a thorough discussion of a hot topic in paleontology
in the work of Cathy Forster, a scientist who works both in laboratory
and remote field locales. The excellent color photos are large enough
to illustrate the detailed field work involved in finding and removing
dinosaur fossils. This account of the development of scientific
knowledge, linked closely to those who create it, makes the whole
process highly appealing. Bib., ind. Rev. 5/00.
What Happened
to the Dinosaurs? by Franklyn M. Branley and Marc Simont
32pp. HarperCollins (1989).
Grade level: K–3
Let's-Read-and-Find-Out Science Book series. As much about the notion
of theory as it is about dinosaurs, the book combines complex ideas
and some difficult vocabulary in a pleasant picture book format.
Rev. 11/89.
The Day
the Dinosaurs Died by Charlotte Lewis Brown
48 pp. HarperCollins (2006).
Grade level: K–3
Illustrated by Phil Wilson. I Can Read Book series. It was not a
good day for the dinosaurs when an asteroid hit Earth. It's a good
one for emergent readers, however, who get to relish the gruesome--yet
factually accurate and realistic--death and destruction. Tyrannosaurus
is incinerated, for example, and others are felled by burning rocks.
The color illustrations pull no punches in matching the heightened
drama of the text. Rev. 7/06.
Dinosaurs
at the Ends of the Earth: The Story of the Central Asiatic Expeditions
by Brian Floca
32 pp. DK Ink/Jackson (2000).
Grade level: K–3
Floca's spirited, fictionalized account of the American Museum of
Natural History's expeditions into Mongolia in the 1920s provides
welcome historical perspective for children who already know loads
of facts about dinosaurs. The upbeat dialogue feels historically
appropriate, a tone that is reflected in the illustrations' careful
attention to period details, and the attention to scientific detail
is also excellent. Rev. 3/00.
Asteroid Impact by Douglas Henderson
40 pp. Dial (2000).
Grade level: 4–6
A straightforward, sophisticated text and sharply focused, dramatic
paintings re-create events that led to mass extinctions sixty-five
million years ago, adhering closely to the prevailing theory of
an asteroid impact. Concentrating on dinosaur extinction, Henderson
slips in information about the broader context for their death.
The illustrations are consistent with scientific knowledge yet creatively
fill in the still-unexplained spaces in scientific theory. Bib.,
ind. Rev. 11/00.
Prehistoric
Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
32 pp. Houghton (2005).
Grade level: K–3
Jenkins follows up Actual Size with this collection of life-sized
depictions of extinct animals that lived between 3 million and 550
million years ago. His stunning paper collage illustrations provide
artistic interpretations of what each animal may have looked like;
the name and brief description are accompanied by time of existence
and measurements. Additional factual information is appended. A
clever treatment. Rev. 1/06.
Boy, Were
We Wrong about Dinosaurs! by Kathleen V. Kudlinski
32 pp. Dutton 2005.
Grade level: K–3
Illustrated by S. D. Schindler. With a lighthearted tone, Kudlinski
introduces young readers to the notion that scientists are often
way off in their assumptions. In the field of paleontology, discarded
ideas include huge, heavy tails and dull-colored scales. For each
wrong idea, Kudlinski explains the contradicting evidence that led
scientists to revise their earlier thinking. The illustrations are
wonderfully detailed and accurate--at least for now. Rev. 11/05.
Living
with Dinosaurs by Patricia Lauber and Douglas Henderson
48 pp. Simon (1991).
Grade level: 4–6
The book focuses on the other creatures that existed during the
period of dinosaurs; the illustrations give an idea of their appearance,
relative size, and the topography. Index. Rev. 5/91.
Outside
and Inside Dinosaurs by Sandra Markle
40 pp. Atheneum (2000).
Grade level: K–3
Markle explains how to figure out information about an organism
from its remains and uses well-chosen analogies and questions to
help guide young readers through the interpretations. While images
of fossils will be familiar to dinosaur-loving children, Markle's
microphotographs, X-ray images, and computer-generated models introduce
them to new methods for studying the objects of their affection.
Glos., ind. Rev. 9/00.
A Nest
of Dinosaurs: The Story of Oviraptor by Mark A. Norell and
Lowell Dingus
42 pp. Doubleday (1999).
Grade level: 4–6
Illustrated by Mick Ellison. Focusing on Oviraptor, a small, meat-eating
dinosaur believed to steal eggs from other dinosaur nests, two paleontologists
discuss their expeditions to a remote site in the Gobi Desert rich
with Cretaceous Period fossils. In the process, the authors unearth
not just dinosaur fossils, but the ways in which scientists develop
and revise theories. Naturalist illustrations and small, intriguing
photos of museum specimens and of the scientists at work accompany
the text. Bib., glos. Rev. 1/00.
Encyclopedia Prehistorica: Dinosaurs
by Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart
14 pp. Candlewick (2005).
Grade level: K–3
This triumph of paper engineering prompts amazement at the authors'
creativity and at the magnificence of the creatures they portray.
Each of six spreads features a central pop-up dinosaur in superb
detail. The spreads also contain smaller sidebar pop-ups (some with
multiple pages). The concise and scientifically accurate text explanations
cover a good amount of information (although no documentation is
provided). Rev. 9/05.
Read more about dinosaur
books | List of all reviews on this
site
|
