Dinosaurs!
The only way you can learn about dinosaurs is through books. Dinosaurs are extinct. Or so we like to think. The book tells us that chicken, and all living birds are dinosaurs. Surprise, surprise.
The chapters are short and logically organized. The information presented in one chapter leads on to the next. A reader is told about the distinguishing characteristics of a dinosaur. All dinosaurs walked on their toes, had a curvy neck, and laid eggs. Birds and chicken have the same characteristics. Ergo, they are dinosaurs.
Dinosaur bones have been found in many places, and scientists have recreated the skeletons. We read that fossils tell us about the outer skin also. The skin left patterns in the mud: some were scaly like lizards, and other had feathers like birds. There are fossil photos to illustrate these two different patterns.
Small boxes, called Word Bites, explain the harder words. The riddles are sure to amuse:
What’s the best way to talk to a dinosaur?
Long distance.
The chapters on the smallest dinosaurs and the largest dinosaurs have graphics that aid comprehension. On both pages a human is shown beside the dinosaur: what a giant next to the smallest dinosaur, so puny besides the giant T-Rex.
The study of dinosaurs is a study in detective work, and the information provided here would make for interesting second grade games. How do we know what the dinosaurs ate? By studying their teeth. The plant eaters had chisel-like teeth. Those dinosaurs that ate meat had teeth sharp as steak knives.
There were dinosaur superstars too. And guess what? you can keep a dinosaur as a pet. Just find a bird you like, and you can claim that you have a dinosaur pet.
Title: Dinosaurs- Author: Kathy Weidner Zoehfeld
- Publisher: National Geographic Society Washington D.C. (2011)
- Reviewer: Anjali Amit
- Paperback: 32 Pages
- ISBN: 978-1-4263-0775-1
- Genre: Science
