THE HUMONGOUS BOOK OF DINOSAURS

by David--Ed. Norman ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 20, 1997

The ""Millions of factoids!"" in this compendium on dinosaurs may confirm once and for all that bigger is not necessarily better. The information--followed by six pages of picture credits, but without text credits or authors listed--is not arranged in alphabetical, geographic, chronological, or any other determinable order. Instead, sections repeat every 18 pages or so: ""Identikit,"" which offers general profiles of dinosaurs accompanied by full-color scale drawings and occasional photos; ""Dinosaur World,"" which answers broad questions, e.g., ""Why did dinosaurs die out?""; ""Spotter's Guide,"" which offers details about claws, brains, etc.; ""History in Pictures,"" which cover in comic-strip fashion key moments in scientific discovery; ""3-D Gallery,"" which are scenes to be viewed with the special glasses provided; and more. Without a table of contents or index, browsers or researchers will have trouble locating specific information; regardless, the facts are occasionally inconsistent and confusing: On one page, the allosaurus has on ""each hand and foot . . . three strong claws to grip its victims,"" and on another page, it is announced as ""The Four-Toed Terror."" The pages are packed with full-color inserts, boxes, drawings, photos, and lurid paragraphs of text, with lots of gouging, ripping chunks of flesh, savage blows, razor-sharp teeth, and dagger-like clawed feet. Dinosaur lovers beware--this is humongous bunkum.

Pub Date: May 20, 1997

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 1256

Publisher: "Stewart, Tabori & Chang"

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 1997

Categories: CHILDREN'S