Extreme Dinosaurs [Hardcover]

Luis Rey (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 9 and up | Grade Level: P and up

Not all dinosaurs were created equal—some had feathers, others had huge sails made of skin on their backs, some species hunted in packs like wolves or lions and one dinosaur had claws that were over three feet long! These dinosaurs arent just strange, they are extreme. Artist Luis Rey draws upon the latest scientific information to bring astounding new visions of dinosaurs to life. With colorful, detailed images and incredible new findings from Asia, South America, and even the South Pole, Extreme Dinosaurs reveals fascinating facts from the ever-growing fossil record that dinosaur lovers will surely devour!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Extreme Dinosaurs by Luis Rey takes the latest information about the newest dinosaur discoveries and paints the ancient creatures as they might have looked. While viewing these magnificent portraits, readers learn that the Carnotaurus, a two-legged dinosaur whose name means "meat-eating bull," was found in Argentina in 1985. The artwork shows its horns (which is why it earned its bullish name), its flat face, its "squat snout" and its tiny arms.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-7-Eye-catching illustrations and an enthusiastic text make this an appealing addition. After an introduction focusing on dinosaur evolution, species are grouped by the continent on which they were discovered, including the first fossils found in 19th-century Europe, the first Tyrannosaurus rex in North America, and the 1996 discovery of the feathered Sinosauropteryx in China. Rey's acrylic paintings feature vivid color and light along with action-packed scenes. Some of the illustrations depict dinosaurs from different eras in the same setting, but the author explains his reasons for this, usually related to demonstrating visually the evolution of similar species. The paintings reflect current speculation about ancient reptiles; Rey paints a very birdlike Deinonychus, which some, but not all, scientists now believe may have been possible. Some of the artwork has appeared in other children's titles. The text flows fairly smoothly and the author's fascination with paleontology and art comes through. At times, though, there is an awkward shift between the strictly scientific voice and the more conversational enthusiastic presentation, with an overuse of such words as "bizarre," "strange," and "weird" in dinosaur descriptions. In general, however, the book succeeds as both an appreciation of these fascinating creatures and a useful, up-to-date, and visually attractive resource about a perennially popular topic.

Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First Edition edition (June 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811830861
• ISBN-13: 978-0811830867
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,931,745 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is really Xtreme!, December 25, 2001

By 

Johannes (Stockholm, Sweden) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Extreme Dinosaurs (Hardcover)

Well,after reading "Dinosaurs!The Biggest,Baddest,Strangest & Fastest" and "Dinosaur Imagery",I`m receiving the third great dinosaur art book,which can almost be classified as a follow-up and companion to "Dinosaurs!".
It is mainly written for children in the ages of 10 or something,but I still find it very fascinating as it provides entertaining information on what the dinosaurs may behaviored and looked like.
For the first,the dinosaurs of this book are mainly cretaceous,so if you`re a fan of stegosaurs or sauropods,this is nothing for you. But if you like the small theropods,there is no better art book. This book is like a dinosaurian sightseeing guide - it begins with a short introduction,then chapters about American,South American African,and Asian dinosaurs. Each continent has very special ones - in North America,you`ll find T-rex and Utahraptor,in South America we meet the bizarre "buldog" dinosaur Carnotaurus,the fearfull Giganotosaurus and the strange Amargasaurus with a sail on the neck!
The asian dinosaurs are perhaps even more bizarre,such as the Therizinosaurus with 3-foot claws,and the dinosaur-bird link Sinsauropteryx. Special attention are given to the feathered dinosaurs,and he puts feathers on nearly all meat-eaters under a tonne!
It ends with a short chapter about the most weird & wonderfull dinosaurs,like the most deadly dino ever to live - Deinonychus,which looks more like a stupid turkey than a horror lizard,but is still a perfect predator,with 6-inch claws!And the recently discovered Byronosaurus and the Jurassic Park favorite Velociraptor are also given some attention,especially the picture when the raptors are playing in the snow,which is an image that just feels so moving and uplifting I almost want to move myself!
After reading this book,I really had some thoughts about dinosaurs. They may didn`t looked like most people imagine. May be they weren`t so unlike the present animals,but in some way this makes them even more fascinating and wonderfull. The restorations of this book can`t barely be described in words ; you have to see them for yourself to fully know what I mean.
I will also base my upcoming dinosaur comic on the look and behavior of these "Extreme Dinosaurs".
If you wish to have a dino art book with just one painter,then there is no better than this!So buy it!