Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 2^-5. With blue and yellow stripes resembling war paint, a ferocious Tyrannosaurus rex charges at readers, its wide open mouth showing fearsome teeth. A bird-like Deinonychus appears in full feathers, and a bizarre-looking Therizinosaurus is imagined with a rooster's wattle and a zebra's stripes. Because skin coloration and other details of dinosaurs' appearance are uncertain, the illustrations here present alternatives--for example, several color combinations for the Parasaurolophus. Interesting facts (gizzard stones found with the skeleton of the huge Seismosaurus suggest it had more than one stomach like a cow) are shared in the concise text, which accompanies the dramatic art showing dinosaurs in action. The oversize format allows ample room for the various illustrators' slick, exciting imaginings and enhances what is sure to be an appealing addition to library collections. --Ellen Mandel
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 2-5-Dramatic illustrations of awesome dinosaurs rank this book several notches above the average. Zimmerman groups his dinosaurs mostly by physical characteristics in chapters with headings such as "The Biggest Meat Eaters," "The Strangest-Looking Dinosaurs," and "The Last Dinosaurs." There's a fair amount of information about each creature, and pronunciation guides for names like Pachycephalosaurus. The author includes facts about newly discovered animals such as the Suchomimus, a dinosaur with a huge, crocodilelike mouth. Pictures dominate, and the tall, oversized format is perfect for displaying these gigantic creatures. A towering Tyrannosaurus actually looks like it could eat 500 pounds of meat in one bite. The book often offers several artists' takes on the same animal, showing how appearance, color, and anatomy are still open to interpretation. An intriguing portrayal of some amazing creatures.- Cathryn A. Camper, formerly at Minneapolis Public Library (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
This extra-tall volume, illustrated with dramatic color artwork, focuses on dinosaurs that are big, bad, strange, and fast--and also identifies the most primitive and modern examples of the prehistoric creatures. The book also includes pronunciation guides, a family tree of dinosaurs, and a list of pertinent websites. Although the concise text is satisfactory, the real draw is the supersized illustrations. Ind. From HORN BOOK Fall 2000, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
Melodrama is the name of the game in this tall-format browsing item. With jaw-dropping precision, a dozen specialist illustrators depict scaled, spotted, crested, feathered, but mainly toothy, predators attacking similarly decorated prey, prowling alertly, or ominously, just seeming to catch sight of the viewer. Like the art, the text incorporates recent discoveries and theories, though its brevity makes for repetitiveness; an assertion that Velociraptor could "bite off huge chunks of meat at a time" needs rephrasing;, and not every prehistoric critter shown is identified. Considering the violence in nearly every scene, there is surprisingly little blood, but strict realism is not what this is about. Dinosaur and monster fans may be left wide-eyed, but they'll find more to chew over in Dougal Dixon's Amazing Dinosaurs (p. 128). (Web sites, chart of groups, index) (Nonfiction. 8-11) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Review by School Library Journal Review
Review by Horn Book Review
Review by Kirkus Book Review
