Customer Reviews

Complete Idiot's Guide to Dinosaurs (The Complete Idiot's Guide)

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This book was not nearly as entertaining as some of the other "idiot's guides" that I have read in the past. The book described many of the species of dinosaur, but illustrations were few and far between. Further, the information was presented in a rather dry manner, compared to some of the other books in this line. I also noticed several typos, which took away from the legitimacy of the book. There is some good information in the book, but I feel it could have been presented in more entertaining fashion.

This is the perfect book for parents with dino-loving kids. They can spend days and days reading about them, but if we want to keep up, we need something more organized and direct to read. My son was never so impressed with me as when I first identified his toy apatosaurus without his help! That moment alone made the book worth reading.

This book is easy to read and is packed with plenty of accurate information. It is up to date and balanced in its treatment of current theories and knowledge. Its stated purpose is to be an introduction to the subject for parents and kids of all ages and it certainly succeeds in doing this. There are however a few weaknesses. There are some oversimplifications, such a stating that Iguanodon walked on two legs like a kangaroo. This was corrected in a later chapter. There are also some errors, such as a photo of a Pteranodon labeled Archaeopteryx and a margin note pertaining to computers. The style gets in the way, occasionally. The humor made part of the raptor chapter somewhat difficult to follow. The glossary and appendices are helpful. Overall, a good book for an introduction or a refresher on the subject.