Dinosaur Tree [Hardcover]

Douglas Henderson (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 6 and up

Traces the life cycle of a tree in the late Triassic period, from its first sprouting to its death and preservation in Arizona's Petrified Forest, and describes the various creatures that made their home in the environment in which the tree grew.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4?This attractive picture book is reminiscent of John Horner and James Gorman's Maia (Running, 1989) in format. Each full-page painting faces a page of text that explains the surrounding atmospheric, plant, and animal conditions as a tree grows in a Triassic forest. The tree's story starts 225 million years ago, and readers see it at 4 years, 50 years, 200 years, 300 years, 400 years, 500 years, and then the beginning of the end, or fossilization. Dinosaurs that lived at the time are pictured in their natural surroundings, and a little information is given about each one. It's a fascinating glimpse into the past. The luminous paintings cast off an eerie glow; they depict the Triassic continent called Pangaea and the land that is now the Painted Desert in Arizona. Henderson has done an excellent job of scientific storytelling, taking advantage of the action of nature in his clear, sparse descriptions and clean, powerful paintings to build drama. Allan Roberts's Fossils (Childrens, 1983) and Pat Lauber's Dinosaurs Walked Here and Other Stories Fossils Tell (Bradbury, 1987) do not have the same in-depth coverage as Henderson's book. A fascinating look into the past.?Susannah Price, Boise Public Library, ID
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Grades 2-4, younger for reading aloud. Employing beautiful lifelike illustrations and an engaging text, the author takes us through the long life of a tree that lives for more than 500 years. This proud conifer stands tall, silently witnessing the coming and going of a multitude of plant and animal life during the late Triassic period. Even after the tree is felled by a windstorm, its life goes on as a kind of footbridge stretched across a stream. How this tree came to rest in Arizona, on the site of what is now the Petrified Forest National Park, unfolds gracefully with page after page of quiet, simply stated text and luminous paintings. Denia Hester

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 6 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; First Edition edition (October 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0027435474
• ISBN-13: 978-0027435474
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #696,450 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dinosaur Tree, October 18, 2004

By 

Joe Zika "Khemprof" (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Dinosaur Tree (Hardcover)

"Dinosaur Tree" written by Douglas Henderson is a beautifully written book about the life of a tree in the time of the dinosaurs, now in modern day Arizona. Mainly written for the young reader from 7 to 9 years of age, this book is educational and gives the reader a perspective of what it is like being a tree and what is going on in and around it as it ages to 500 years old and what happens to it as it tells it's tale from the Petrified Forest National Park.

"Dinosaur Tree" is surprisingly educational, interesting, and engaging. You'll see many aminals that lived in the forests and the streams of the late Triassic. Yet it is written with the young mind in mind. The artwork is very colorful, startling, and dramatic, and goes well with the storyline. There is a glossary/index in the back of the book that explains the terms used within the text of the book.

I gave "Dinosaur Tree" a solid 5 stars for being a book that is engaging, educational, and informative, making the reader think about what is going on around them... even if a tree can't "talk" it can still tell a tale all you have to do is observe.