Bill Nye the Science Guy's Great Big Dinosaur Dig [Hardcover]

Bill Nye (Author), Ian G. Saunders (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 2, 2002 | Age Level: 6 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up | Series: Bill Nye the Science Guy

Ancient dinosaurs lived over 65 million years ago, but they have fascinated human beings since the first fossil discovery. In this book, science expert and television celebrity Bill Nye the Science Guy tells us how dinosaurs become fossils, how they must have behaved, and why we call their descendants “birds.” Featuring over thirty different species of dinosaurs, each chapter has an easy-to-follow experiment that readers can do at home.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-6-The Science Guy returns with a chatty, informative book on an ever-popular subject. Rather than homing in on individual species, the conversational text discusses the formation of fossils and their subsequent retrieval, bird evolution, and Pangaea, among other topics. Each brief chapter includes an activity that ranges from painting camouflage balloons to chipping a "fossil" chicken bone from a plaster of paris matrix. Colorful illustrations, diagrams, and data boxes abound, many accompanied by photos of Nye clad in his signature blue lab coat or casual field shirt. The "Ancient Dinosaur Index" is not, alas, an index to the content of the text but rather a listing of all of the dinosaurs mentioned in the book, shown in the illustrations, or cited in the time line that trundles along the bottom of the pages. This "index" includes name, pronunciation and meaning of name, size, and whether the critter was a saurischian or an ornithischian. With a dozen activities/experiments for hands-on science, this book will attract dinophiles and classroom teachers alike. It's more tightly focused than Bill Nye the Science Guy's Big Blue Ocean (Hyperion, 1999).
Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion; 1 edition (December 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786805420
• ISBN-13: 978-0786805426
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #501,686 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #38 in Books > Children's Books > Science, Nature & How It Works > Nature > Fossils
  • #76 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Biological Sciences > Animals > Fossils

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful book!, December 1, 2011

By 

M. Tang (Texas) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Bill Nye the Science Guy's Great Big Dinosaur Dig (Hardcover)

I loved Bill Nye the Science Guy as a kid and now that my son (4years old) is into dinosaurs I couldn't pass up buying this book. It is a great book. My son and I love doing all the experiments in each chapter. The book is educational and fun. It is a favorite of both me and my son. I would highly recommend this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars A Keeper, October 13, 2010

By 

LRK (Utah, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Bill Nye the Science Guy's Great Big Dinosaur Dig (Hardcover)

My five year old wanted to study dinosaurs for her first school study...found this at the library. I've now had it for 6 weeks (the limit to renew)...and she's so sad we can't keep it longer. There are experiments for almost every concept, and they aren't only useful for dinosaurs, though they're related. We've had fun doing them, and I'm learning things I didn't know before while everything is still simple enough my five year old is getting it too. The pictures are colorful, the explanations short...only maybe 10 minutes per concept, and the experiments take very little preparation. I like it so much I'm here looking for more.