Overview
A complete look at the world of dinosaurs.
Don Lessem, renowned dinosaur expert, award-winning children's author, and advisor to the creators of Jurassic Park, offers a lively and informative, guide to dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs ruled the world for 150 million years. During that time, the world changed from a single warm supercontinent into the familiar continents that resemble modern Earth. The dinosaurs themselves also changed to adapt to these dramatic changes. This book is organized by the vast periods dominated by the dinosaurs: the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. Fifty-four dinosaurs are featured against the backdrop of where they lived to give a better understanding of their distribution and evolution. Information tables for 25 dinosaurs provide details such as translation of name, group, size, diet, and a concise profile.
Brief overviews of the world before and after dinosaurs are included as well. The Dinosaur Atlas also discussed various theories for their mass extinction and why their descendents may still live in the form of birds. Featuring color maps, dramatic illustrations, and humorous sidebars, this book takes a unique, geographical approach to a timeless subject.
Editorials
Booklist / RBB
Different from the usual dinosaur book and should be in most school and public library collections... the value of the book is in the graphical material.Science Books and Films -
A truly wonderful book... much more than a picture book... text is clear, accurate and consistently interesting... useful and timely for many ages.PalArch.nl [webbased Netherlands scientific journa -
One of the best children's books (in this age category) on dinosaurs available at the moment... well organized and written in a clear, understandable prose... A must for every child that likes dinosaurs!Children's Literature
"Dino" Don Lessem presents one of the more thorough atlases of dinosaurs for young people. Aided by the exquisitely drawn illustrations by John Bindon and with the authoritative "pat on the back" from Dr. Phil Curries, chief dinosaur paleontologist of the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Alberta, Canada, Lessem focuses on 50 types of dinosaurs. Using a prehistoric timeline as well as a general "continent by continent" approach, the author provides information like preferred eating habits, size, meaning of name, and the group to which it was affiliated and a definition of that particular group. Lessem also provides a black-boxed question and response section called "Dino Don Says," where he provides intriguing questions that readers might ask. Using quirky taglines like "Is It a Bird? A Plane? A Sandwich?" or "Sneezing Tourists," Lessem introduces a question and answers it in a quick, often humorous manner. At the end of this atlas, Lessem provides a "Learning More" section where he offers, as he puts it, "Cool Books," "Cool Videos," "Cool Web Sites," "Cool Dig Sites," and, inevitably, "Cool Museums" from around the world. Lessem has obviously done his research, and his readers are certainly the beneficiaries. This "cool" atlas is one that adolescent readers will truly enjoy. 2003, Firefly Books Inc, Ages 8 to 12.—Jean Boreen, Ph.D.