UP CLOSE AND INCREDIBLE

In a treat for dino-detectives, tiny paleontologists swarm over 14 dramatic, schematic depictions of prehistoric fossils.

Made to be pored over with a 3x magnifying glass that comes with the package, the fully or partially fleshed-out dinosaurs in Aguirre’s illustrations teem with funny and informative business—from minuscule workers expertly wielding actual tools of the trade like rock hammers and dental probes on a comparatively humongous fossil spine to dancers engaged in a “Tyrannosaurus tango” to reflect the notion that T. rex might have used its seemingly useless arms for mating displays. In semi-serious accompanying notes, Huang details 10 significant anatomical features to spot in each image; he invites viewers to take closer looks at the side teeth lined up along the jawbone of T. rex, for example, which are like “lethal bananas” and indeed include a comically menacing banana in their number. Huang also includes sets of basic facts and comparative size charts, backed up by timelines and a visual key to each image at the end. Even without the glass, the researchers clearly vary in skin tone; some figures use wheelchairs, and others wear hijabs.

A solid infodump, festooned with both facts and visual gags.