The author/illustrator of Feathered Dinosaurs of China (p. 43) looks closer to home, taking young dinophiles back 150 million years and focusing on species discovered in the Rocky Mountains’ Morrison Formation. Considering the lurid choices available to dinosaur fans these days, it’s a rather staid tour; he begins close to ground level with glimpses of frogs, cat-sized herbivores called Othniela, and five-foot-long turtles, then proceeds in stages to 30-ton Apatosaurus, toothy Allosaurus, and finally a humongous, 110-foot-long Diplodocus. Each appears in a similarly angled, middle-distance view, either as part of a detailed scene or as a paler vignette without background vegetation. The text reads like museum commentary—“A group of sauropods, called Camarasaurus, dines on tall bushes and trees in the nearby araucaria wood”—with violent events occasionally described, but not depicted. Most of the extinct critters here are shown posing rather than in action, and, aside from a Stegosaur’s vivid purple and green, the colors are subdued. Readers who just can’t get enough on the topic will snap this up, but it’s one of the banquet’s blander courses. (Picture book/nonfiction. 8-10)
Pub Date: July 1, 2004
ISBN: 1-57091-563-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Thin in spots, but both topic and author come with vast built-in audiences.
An abbreviated overview of the dino-world, as currently conceived and studied.
Best regarded as a shortened, revised, and reillustrated update to New Questions and Answers About Dinosaurs, illustrated by Jennifer Owings Dewey (1990), this outing pairs a zippy selection of color photos and paleo-art to a brisk recap of basic facts, with particular focus on recent theories and discoveries. Drifting into and out of a Q&A format, the book covers a broad range of topics including dinosaur hips and feathers, what paleontologists and fossils are, and new technology for finding and studying the latter. He goes on to highlight seven standard-issue “Dino-Stars,” discuss the “asteroid” and “volcano” extinction theories (properly suggesting that both may be correct), then closes by reaffirming that, yes, birds really belong to the theropod family. The pictures are consistently apt and occasionally arresting, ranging from a close-up of Velociraptor avidly chasing a frantic-looking small mammal to views of scientists at work (most White). If “the Stegosaurus State” is not Colorado’s nickname (not on any official list, anyway), and a quaint claim that T. rex was the largest carnivorous dinosaur will have young Spinosaurus fans howling in protest, still this offers an easily readable road map of the field for younger dinophiles. (This book was reviewed digitally with 10-by-20-inch double-page spreads viewed at 75% of actual size.)
Thin in spots, but both topic and author come with vast built-in audiences. (index, reading list) (Informational picture book. 8-10)Pub Date: Nov. 10, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-06-247063-8
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Sept. 14, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 1, 2020
Plenty for kids to enjoy, even if the storyline falls flat.
The Dinomighty crew works together to protect the Dino Lisa portrait from their nemeses.
Dinomighties Teri-Dactyl, Dave, T-Lex, and the chicken, Bach, leverage their strengths to outwit the bad guys led by Bully Mammoth. The Mayor of Dinotown charges the Dinomighties with protecting the priceless painting the Dino Lisa, but former baddies the Diplos are hot on their trail. They team up with Bully Mammoth, who is at the top of the nemesis list to try to steal the Dino Lisa and stop the Dinomighties. There’s plenty of content in this graphic novel with high appeal for kids: dinozombies, scatological humor, and fight scenes. The all-star, most fun character is the brainiac Bach, who only ever says, Bok! and who often swoops in to save the day with a hack or some chemistry. While the characters are all very likable and fun on the page, the plot is a little thin. There’s no clear motivation for the bad guys (why steal the Dino Lisa?) other than that they are bad guys who therefore do bad things. Blecha’s illustrations, however, add plenty. From little details, like the Diplos eavesdropping on the mayor, to the creative perspective in a scene where the dinozombies close in on the Dinomighties, the art helps buoy the story. The end sets up the next book in the series.
Plenty for kids to enjoy, even if the storyline falls flat. (Graphic fiction. 8-10)Pub Date: Oct. 12, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-358-33157-5
Page Count: 224
Publisher: Etch/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Aug. 31, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
© Copyright 2025 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
