Feathered Dinosaurs [Hardcover]

Christopher Sloan (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

All the dinosaurs became extinct 65 million years ago, right? Wrong. Exciting new fossil research suggests that though most of the dinosaurs did die out, flying dinosaurs didn't. They survived and changed over all those millions of years. Now we call them.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8-This exciting title combines an accurate, readable text and excellent drawings, photos, and diagrams to trace the development of feathers and other avian characteristics from dinosaurs to birds. Sloan uses the latest fossil finds to reinforce the theory that modern birds are true evolutionary descendants from an ancient dinosaurian line. He cites scientific deductions based on the discovery of nesting grounds, evidence of parental nurturing at nest sites, and of trackways determining herd behaviors in several types of dinosaurs. With its eye-catching cover and fascinating color photographs, this volume is sure to attract dinophiles (and possibly bird lovers as well). Team it with other recent exciting titles such as Nic Bishop's Digging for Bird-Dinosaurs (Houghton, 2000), Miriam Schlein's The Puzzle of the Dinosaur-Bird (Dial, 1996), and Mark Norell and Lowell Dingus's A Nest of Dinosaurs (Doubleday, 1999) for a dramatic pilgrimage along an evolution- ary path.
Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 3-6. After poring over this fascinating volume it will be impossible to look at birds the same way again. Theories about birds being the descendants of dinosaurs have been around since the early seventies, but it was just three years ago that fossil remains were unearthed in China revealing dinosaurs with featherlike structures and true feathers. The photographs and drawings are truly top-notch--splashy and imaginative yet very informative. Big, colorful models and paintings give credible interpretations of what these feathered beasts might have looked like. Author Sloan puts all the facts together in a way that is engaging, accessible, and intriguing enough to get readers hooked on nonfiction. Denia Hester
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books; First Edition edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792272196
• ISBN-13: 978-0792272199
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 0.4 x 11.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,650,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Feathered Dinosaurs, November 15, 2002

By 

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

This review is from: Feathered Dinosaurs (Hardcover)

Feathered Dinosaurs written by Christopher Sloan is a well-written and highly illustrated book about dinosaurs having feathers, either as young or as adult for display during mating.

This book is an easy read and could be read in the age group of 9 to 12 years old. With that said, adult readers will get information from the book as well. The theory that dinosaurs had feathers has been around since the 1970's, but the fossil record is now being tapped and as paleontologists probe further into the fossil they are uncovering more and more evidence that, indeed, certain dinosaurs did have feathers.

Dinosaurs, being endothermic, that is warm-blooded, needed protection from hot and cold and feathers work well for this purpose. Like birds of today, the use of feathers make for a good display during mating and also, for recognizing like-kind, but more importantly to help regulate body temperature.

After 65 millions years since the extinction of the dinosaurs took place, we find that the flying dinosaurs made it and advanced through time to the present. One of the amazing stories of nature and her will to survive, the reason should be obvious... they could fly great distances and avoid climatic changes.

Searching for clues for the connectionbetween dinosaurs and birds of today, one has to have a keen sense of observation and compare the two. Using your sense like a detective, you must check the bones, eggs, and, of course, the feathers. More and more evidence is being unearthed every day and making the connection between early birds and dinosaurs is becoming clearer.

This book is part of the National Geographic Society collection of books on dinosaurs and is well worth the money. If you have a child who likes dinosaurs this is a book to check out and consider to purchase for them. So, after 65 million years we are finding out that the birds we see out and about our front and backyards are indeed descendants of a time long since gone.

2.0 out of 5 stars Too short, too young, April 24, 2009

By 

Enjolras (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Feathered Dinosaurs (National Geographic Society) (Paperback)

This book is out of date. It is geared toward children. Even so, extremely short and does not have particularly interesting pictures. If you are interested in the relationship between birds and dinosaurs, check out Long and Schouten's wonderful "Feathered Dinosaurs."