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OXFORD FIRST BOOK OF DINOSAURS by Barbara Taylor

OXFORD FIRST BOOK OF DINOSAURS

by Barbara Taylor

Pub Date: Jan. 18th, 2002
ISBN: 0-19-521847-7
Publisher: Oxford Univ.

A big book of dinosaurs for young enthusiasts that’s most notable for colorful drawings of dinosaurs on every page. Arranging her information by topic, the author briefly discusses what a dinosaur is, how we know about them, how they lived, what the major groups are, concluding with possible reasons for their extinction. She explains that all dinosaurs had some things in common: they laid eggs with shells; they lived on land; and none could fly. But she makes no mention of the warm-blooded/cold-blooded controversy, nor does she mention that dinosaurs had scales. She describes familiar meat-eaters like Tyrannosaurus rex, giant plant-eaters like Brachiosaurus, armored dinosaurs like Ankylosaurous, horned ones like Triceratops, and the fierce small predators like Deinonychus. Cutaway drawings show the skeleton and internal organs of a plant-eater and the embryo in a dinosaur egg. Photo inserts show the serrated teeth of T. rex and bony neck frill of Triceratops. “Look Closer” inserts focus attention on interesting details. Size information is not given consistently, though the drawings in the section on size include a human for scale. Browsing through the pages, readers will sense that they’ve seen this all before, but budding dinosaur enthusiasts will still enjoy the arrangement. Added treats include a dinosaur quiz and some activities to do at home. (glossary, name pronunciation guide, index) (Nonfiction. 8-10)