Big, heavy-looking dinos moan, roar and stump their way through prehistoric landscapes in this elaborately crafted reconstruction.
Though the Arctic landscape of 70 million years ago is a verdant one, winter’s approach prompts young Scar to migrate south with a herd of fellow Edmontosauruses—braving bands of Albertosaurus and other predators as well as natural hazards from a blizzard to a sudden flood. Meanwhile Patch, a feathered Troodon, and others stay behind to eke out the dark, snowy season. Paired to melodramatic commentary (“If dinosaurs had lips, they’d be licking them….”) optionally read by a narrator in a matter of fact tone, the gore-free but otherwise realistic art depicts 11 extinct creatures rendered in reasonably fine detail. They are placed in a variety of environments and enhanced by occasional short attacks or other animated movements. Small silhouetted icons at the bottom of each page lead to rotating, pinchable images of each featured creature, along with video clips, several paragraphs of background information about the dinosaur’s range, habits and fossil discoveries and a direct link to a search engine for further online enquiry.
Spun off from a TV special (trailer included), this blend of science and survival adventure offers both high production values and healthy doses of dino-facts. (iPad informational app. 7-11)
