Disney's Dinosaur! The Essential Guide [Hardcover]

David Lambert (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 4 and up | Series: DK Essential Guides

A stunning look at the world and characters of Disney's upcoming animated film, Dinosaur! Coming to theaters May 19, 1999. Disney's spectacular new film uses state-of-the-art computer-generated visuals to bring the last days of the dinosaurs to life. An orphaned dinosaur egg falls into a tree where a community of lemurs live. Little Aladar, an Iguanadon, grows up under the love and influence of his adoptive family. All are content on Lemur Island until catastrophe strikes: a meteor collides with the earth, heralding the end of the dinosaur age. Aladar and his family join a ragtag herd of surviving dinosaurs trying to find their old nesting ground. Aladar soon realizes that his species is failing to cope with the events that threaten extinction. Raised by creatures that are destined to dominate earth-mammals-he understands the importance of working together and adapting to change.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: DK CHILDREN; 1st edition (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0789454521
• ISBN-13: 978-0789454522
• Product Dimensions: 12.2 x 10.1 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #617,381 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A visual feast for dinosaur lovers, January 29, 2001

By 

Michael J. Mazza - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Disney's Dinosaur! The Essential Guide (Hardcover)

"Dinosaur: The Essential Guide" is an oversized companion book to the animated film "Dinosaur," which was a big 2000 hit for Walt Disney. This book, lavishly illustrated with scenes from the film, describes the characters, locales, and species that appear in the film.

The book is a visual treat. Disney used cutting-edge techniques to bring the creatures of "Dinosaur" to life, and the book captures each animal splendidly. The soft fur of the lemurs, the bony neck frill of the styracosaur, the fierce teeth of the carnotaur--all the details are vivid and memorable.

The book's effectiveness is, however, compromised by the fact that the authors seem unsure of their purpose. Is this book supposed to be a guide to the fictional world of the movie, or to the real world of dinosaurs as science understands them? For example, the book is filled with scientific-sounding observations like "Herd dinosaurs are highly social animals, and during the nesting season the lake is the center of their bustling community." Sidebars with titles like "Cretaceous Life" add to this pseudoscientific flavor. But as far as I know, there is no evidence that dinosaurs spoke English or formed multispecies families with lemurs, as depicted in this film! This flaw aside, this book is a treat for kids who loved the movie, or who love dinosaurs in general.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of the Disney's Dinosaur books, June 3, 2000

By 

cs "bookreader" (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Disney's Dinosaur! The Essential Guide (Hardcover)

This is the best of the Disney's Dinosaur books to date. It contains numerous wonderful photos from the movie, all reproduced on good quality paper and in good quality tones as is characteristic of DK books. It is not written in storybook format, so if you're looking for a read-aloud narrative this would not be the best choice. However, if you're looking for the most thorough and comprehensive way to re-experience the details and nuances of the film, this is the book to get.

5.0 out of 5 stars A great book to accompany the movie., June 5, 2007

By 

MommaMia - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Disney's Dinosaur! The Essential Guide (Hardcover)

My daughter practically sleeps with this book, being a big DINOSAUR fan and also a fan of just dinosaurs in general. If your kids love the movie, this book is a must. All characters are shown, described in detail...lots of full color illustrations and stuff from the movie. Well worth the money.