Living with Dinosaurs [Hardcover]

Patricia Lauber (Author), Douglas Henderson (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up

Recreates life among the dinosaurs living in North America seventy-five million years ago.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This fitting companion to these collaborators' The News About Dinosaurs vividly recreates life 75 million years ago on a site near the present state of Montana. With almost novelistic narrative skill and a You Are Ther e immediacy, Lauber explores the habitats and habits of a variety of prehistoric life forms. In three chapters, she focuses on environment and ecosystems in and around the sea, the swamps and lowland areas and the more heavily forested uplands. The detailed text is paired with striking mixed-media illustrations; some have been created by Henderson for this book, others are reproductions of works in the Museum of the Rockies. An afterword, "How We Know What We Know," offers intriguing insights into the origins of fossilized remains and methods of current scientific investigations. Numerous colorful maps and a useful index with pronunciations round out this informative and entertaining work. Ages 6-10.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6-- An aptly named and engaging volume that takes readers on a lively tour of the dinosaurs' world. Senses are heightened as the smells and sounds of these exotic terrains are described. The journey begins in the abundant sea where children encounter six-foot-long Hesperornis, birds that cannot walk or fly. Through swamp, forest, and upland, the mighty and the minuscule are brought to life. Lauber describes the tiny, furry animals skittering across the forest floor and points out which trees and shrubs are cousins of plants on Earth today. Many of Henderson's paintings are handsome portraits that eloquently depict the easy grace of Pteranodons and the lush, shaded forest with its carpet of leaf litter. The touches of pastel and gouache add depth and drama to the prehistoric land, sky, and seascapes. The journey ends in the western United States where the first peaks of the Rocky Mountains are starting to thrust up. Lauber then returns to the present day and describes how scientists dig up the past. All of the illustrations are captioned. A logical page layout with double-spaced text and plenty of white background makes the book inviting and unimposing. This enjoyable offering gives a wealth of information and is indexed with a pronunciation key. Most libraries will want to own it as well as Lauber's The News about Dinosaurs (1989) and Dinosaurs Walked Here and Other Stories Fossils Tell (1987, both Bradbury). --Denia Lewis Hester, Dewey School, Evanston, IL
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 48 pages
• Publisher: Bradbury Press; 1st edition (April 30, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0027545210
• ISBN-13: 978-0027545210
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 9.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,757,402 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 LIVING WITH DINOSAURS, December 22, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Living with Dinosaurs (Hardcover)

This is a fantastic dinosaur book, intended for youngsters but enjoyable by older dinosaurophiles as well! LIVING WITH DINOSAURS explores the various habitats of early Late Cretaceous Montana and their inhabitants, which include not only dinosaurs (famous ones being Maiasaura, Corythosaurus, Albertosaurus, and Troodon) but their neighbors (pterosaurs, marine reptiles, sharks, primitive seabirds, mammals, and others), hence the name of the book. Henderson's artwork is very dramatic, very beautiful, and very impressive, and fans of dinosaur art (such as myself) will simply gobble them up. A definite must for ANY dinosaurophile's library! -- Rachel K. Clar

4.0 out of 5 stars Living with Dinosaurs, June 15, 2009

By 

Anna M. Ligtenberg "AnnaLovesBooks" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Living with Dinosaurs (Hardcover)

ISBN 0027545210 - Printed in the United States. Because I'm not much of a dinosaur fan, I was only mildly curious about this book. The target audience is 8 to 11 year olds, and I'm a bit older than that - for that audience, especially the boys and the dino-fans in that audience, this is a better book than I anticipated.

Author Patricia Lauber takes you back some 75 million years and puts you down amongst the dinosaurs, giving you a firsthand look at life alongside of these creatures. Surprisingly, the text is not difficult to read (other than some lengthy and uncommon dinosaur names) and manages to do a fair job of setting the right tone. That is completed by fantastic images by Douglas Henderson. Some of his work looks almost like a photo, making the dinosaurs and their habitat look unusually real.

The book ends with the chapter "Digging up the Past: How We Know What We Know", which brings you back to today (well, 1991, when the book was written) and gives some information about fossils and the science behind studying dinosaurs. There is a one-page Index and Pronunciation, which is helpful on both fronts. A good resource for reports or for those homeschooling parents who don't find dinosaurs conflicting with their religious beliefs. Not a book I'd ever read again, but I don't have to take a quiz or write a report! I'd give the text 3 stars, but Henderson's illustrations earn it 4.

- AnnaLovesBooks