Customer Reviews

Amazing Dinosaurs

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Some dinosaur books for kids present dinosaurs in chronological order. Here Dixon takes a different approach, one that I think is much more interesting and educationally valuable.

The material is organized by adaptation, not time period. Dinosaurs are divided into four major categories (meat eaters, long-necked plant eaters, armored dinosaurs, and two-footed plant eaters) and each category is treated in a separate section of the book.

Sections begin with general information (e.g., the anatomical features or adaptive strategies shared by members of the category). Details about specific groups follow.

For example, the section of long-necked plant eaters begins with a look at sauropods as they would have appeared beneath the skin. Dixon explains how sauropods used their long necks to feed from the tree tops, how sauropods lacked good chewing teeth, and how they swallowed stones to grind food in their stomachs. Then, in the following pages, the book provides details about certain groups of sauropods, like those with unusual necks.

The illustrations are beautifully rendered--especially, in my view, the pictures of the feathered dinosaurs. Entries include thumbnail depictions of a human figure standing next to each dinosaur (for scale). The book includes a glossary and an index, too.

On the down side, there are no photographs of dinosaur tracks, skin- or feather impressions. Such photos provide kids with visual evidence of the appearance and behavior of dinosaurs, and give kids insights into the ways that paleontologists make inferences.

I would also have liked to see more parallels drawn between living and extinct animals, something that Dixon does his book entitled _Dougal Dixon's Dinosaurs_.

But make no mistake: These are minor quibbles. This is a beautiful, authoritative, and unusually well-organized book. It also looks very up-to-date. (As of early 2009, the only outdated claim I spot is one regarding Pachycephalosaurus--the recently discredited idea that these dinosaurs used their heads as battering rams).

If you're looking for a dinosaur guide aimed at kids under 12 years old, this one delivers a lot of value for the money.

- Parenting Science

Having a 6 year old grandson who chides another child for placing a dinosaur in the wrong time period is a little daunting to me. Plus, I stumble over all the names of the dinosaurs. Not any more! Now that I have "Amazing Dinosaurs" by Dixon, I can easily pronounce the names of those crazy creatures and can easily access facts that delight my grandson. He loves sentences such as, "The bigger nodosaurids had huge spikes sticking out of their armored shoulders. These would have scared away many meat eaters. If a nodosaurid were actually attacked, then it would have used its spikes for fighting." He loves seeing how big a dinosaur was compared to a human. And where the dinosaurs lived. He just loves this book. And so do I!