Overview
"Magnificent in its breadth and illustration." -- Booklist
"A well-illustrated large-format book... A good book for a young person who is curious about dinosaurs." -- Choice
No other life-form captures the imagination and attention like dinosaurs. Organized by the major dinosaur families, Dinosaurus identifies 500 species creature by creature, from the voracious flesh-eaters to the egg-stealers to the vegetarians, detailing what they looked like, what they ate and how they fought, lived and died.
All this information is dramatically presented and exciting to read, with features such as:
- At-a-glance fact files
- Concise explanations of known traits and habits of each dinosaur species
- Vivid full-color illustrations
- Latin name, translation and pronunciation
- Adult length and weight
- Height specifics and comparison to humans
- Diet and habitat
- Global distribution.
Dinosaurus also challenges and discredits some long-popular myths and legends. For example, this guide shows that:
- The dinosaur known as brontosaurus never existed
- Tyrannosaurus was not the biggest meat-eater of all time
- Flying dinosaurs were not simply feeble gliders
- Sea dinosaurs could not out-swim today's fastest fish.
Brimming with the research from digs in North America, Mongolia, Europe, China and elsewhere, Dinosaurus is comprehensive,
innovative and as compelling and exciting as the dinosaurs themselves.
Synopsis
A comprehensive encyclopedia of dinosaurs, including the latest scientific knowledge and fossil discoveries.
Rollie Welch - VOYA
Weighing in with a hefty number of pages, this single volume is promoted as a complete guide, and perhaps it is just that. Providing more in-depth information than average dinosaur texts, this work is intended for advanced secondary students. The arrangement of chapters such as "Great Predators," "Boneheads," and "Horned Dinosaurs" makes locating specific dinosaurs a hit-or-miss adventure without using the table of contents or index. Once a certain species is located, abundant information is available, including a half page of text, a picture, and a "Dino Factfile" listing the dinosaur's name, the meaning of the name, pronunciation, the animal's diet, and its estimated length and weight. What separates this book from other dinosaur guides are sections that dispel dinosaur myths, explain the question of mass extinction, and outline the evolutionary process, including human development. The easy-to-use time line alleviates students' frustration of trying to organize pre-recorded history. Young adult librarians are sure to welcome any additional source on evolution, a challenging report topic. Living up to its billing, this book also has maps indicating where fossils have been located (identified by color according to the discovery), a list of museums that display dinosaurs (with contact information, including Web sites), and a commentary about rebuilding dinosaur skeletons. The high price tag might cause school librarians to pass on this outstanding work, but it is a must-have source for libraries where dinosaur study is an annual research unit. VOYA Codes: 5Q 4P M J S A/YA (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8;Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult-marketed book recommended for Young Adults). 2003, Firefly, 448p.; Glossary. Index. Illus. Photos. Maps. Charts. Source Notes. Chronology. Appendix., Ages 11 to Adult.
Editorials
VOYA
Weighing in with a hefty number of pages, this single volume is promoted as a complete guide, and perhaps it is just that. Providing more in-depth information than average dinosaur texts, this work is intended for advanced secondary students. The arrangement of chapters such as "Great Predators," "Boneheads," and "Horned Dinosaurs" makes locating specific dinosaurs a hit-or-miss adventure without using the table of contents or index. Once a certain species is located, abundant information is available, including a half page of text, a picture, and a "Dino Factfile" listing the dinosaur's name, the meaning of the name, pronunciation, the animal's diet, and its estimated length and weight. What separates this book from other dinosaur guides are sections that dispel dinosaur myths, explain the question of mass extinction, and outline the evolutionary process, including human development. The easy-to-use time line alleviates students' frustration of trying to organize pre-recorded history. Young adult librarians are sure to welcome any additional source on evolution, a challenging report topic. Living up to its billing, this book also has maps indicating where fossils have been located (identified by color according to the discovery), a list of museums that display dinosaurs (with contact information, including Web sites), and a commentary about rebuilding dinosaur skeletons. The high price tag might cause school librarians to pass on this outstanding work, but it is a must-have source for libraries where dinosaur study is an annual research unit. VOYA Codes: 5Q 4P M J S A/YA (Hard to imagine it being any better written; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8;Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9; Senior High, defined as grades 10 to 12; Adult-marketed book recommended for Young Adults). 2003, Firefly, 448p.; Glossary. Index. Illus. Photos. Maps. Charts. Source Notes. Chronology. Appendix., Ages 11 to Adult.—Rollie Welch
Children's Literature
This book is subtitled "the complete guide to dinosaurs" which humbly says it all. Identifying 500 species of dinosaurs, this great big book will educate, fascinate and inspire its readers. The introduction could stand alone as a small book; it discusses evolution, fossils, the finding, dating, recovering and rebuilding of the fossils. Being provided with a solid base from which to appreciate the facts is essential. Commonly held myths and legends are clarified. For example, Tyrannosaurus was never the world's largest consumer of meat—today's sperm whale is much bigger and the prehistoric sea creature Liopleurodon was also a contender! While Tyrannosaurus held the record as largest known land based meat eater for about 90 years, the discovery of the skeleton of an even greater predator called Giganotosaurus in Argentina in 1994 disproved this theory. Fifteen chapters then follow, organized by major dinosaur families (such as the boneheads, bird-foot dinosaurs, the giants). Two really outstanding aspects of the book include the illustrations and pictures and a "factfile" for each dinosaur. The illustrations are superb, from the colors to the setting to the placement on the page. The "factfiles" give the Latin name of the dinosaur, its meaning and pronunciation, when it lived, its size (height and weight) what it ate and where its fossils have been discovered. Maps of our present day world with how the world was situated superimposed upon it according to the era in which that particular dinosaur lived are useful. Accompanying text offers rich details in an easily readable manner. Younger children will view this as a picture book while older ones will revel in the text based material.Highly recommended. The author has worked at the Natural History Museum in London for many years and is a Scientific Fellow of the Zoological Society. He has written more than 100 books for children, including Dinosaur! and the Practical Paleontologist. 2003, Firefly Books, Ages 10 up.— Cindy L. Carolan