National Geographic Dinosaurs (Hardcover)

~ Paul Barrett (Author), Raul Martin (Illustrator), Kevin Padian (Introduction)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

aul Barrett's National Geographic Dinosaurs, illus. by Raul Mart¡n, catalogues more than 50 of the "terrible lizards." A "time bar" running along the outside of the page indicates the period for each particular dinosaur; a "Fact File" provides the animal's genus, classification, weight and measurements; and a graph compares the dino's size to humans. Other sections focus on the Mesozoic through the Cretaceous period, paleontology and dinosaur behavior. Over 300 full-color photographs and 90 photorealistic illustrations add dimension.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Gr 5-9-This overview includes nearly 200 pages of well-organized, attractively presented information. The opening chapters offer a chronology of the age of dinosaurs, a brief history of key discoveries, and lots of information about the creatures' habits and characteristics in general. The heart of the book is the 50 or so profiles of individual dinosaur genera, divided into the two major groups (bird-hipped and lizard-hipped). Each one includes size, location, and era, as well as basic information and intriguing facts. While not a comprehensive dictionary of species, the entries offer a wealth of information. The attractive layout makes this a good resource for both browsing and for more in-depth research. The uncluttered "profiles" feature one main illustration of the dinosaur, along with a few smaller captioned illustrations. A time line, fact file, and map for each species appears consistently on the edge of the page. Interspersed among the introductory chapters and profiles are over a dozen dramatic, full-page and two-page scenes, vividly capturing selected species in action. Several recent discoveries are mentioned, and current theories are clearly distinguished from accepted fact in such areas as classification, evolutionary factors, and behaviors. Though not quite as visually exciting as David Lambert's DK Guide to Dinosaurs (DK, 2000) or as comprehensive as Douglas Dixon's The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures (S & S, 2001), this title fills a need for reference materials for older students.

Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books; 1st edition (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0792282248
• ISBN-13: 978-0792282242
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,439 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent overview!, March 29, 2002

By	Johannes (Stockholm, Sweden) - See all my reviews

Well,this book is finally an updated overview of the prehistoric era. I would like to classify it as a modern version of "The Ultimate Dinosaur Book" which I also own,but this one is much better. On 192 pages,it is of suitable length and the format is excellent too.
It begins with a presentation of the dinosaurs with chapters like "What is A Dinosaur","The Age of Dinosaurs","Discovering Dinosaurs","How They Lived",etc.
Then,it does a good job presenting 53 of the most well-known dinosurs,like T-rex,Triceratops and Stegosaurus,as well as some lesser known such as Pelecanimimus and Therizinosaurus. The profiles are well organized,with a drawing of each species accompanied by some short fact files about name,size,time,place and classification,as well as some interesting facts about discovery,and possible behavior.
Because I am commonly interested in more scientific dino books,I bought this one for another reason than the fact,though that`s nice having too: the artwork!
There are about 30 double-page illustrations by paleoartist newcomer Raul Martin. Each picture is worth a thousand words!
Some of them,like the cover illustration,are just breathtaking.
Never I`ve seen so many awe-inspiring dinosaur images by one artist. His way to capture the majesty and beauty of this creatures is just fantastic!All of the elements - light,habitat,color,and motif - are very well combined to really fit with each other. The style sometimes reminds me of Tolkien artist John Howe. There are two main types of paintings in this book: the first type are peacefull but mysterious,and the second type are bold and dramatic,featuring terrifying encounters with allosaurs,raptors etc.
Over all,he is a really talented artist and I`ll keep looking for his future work.
Well,I hope you can excuse me for mentioning too much about the art,but for me it`s more than a fact book. It is an art book!
The text is quite easy to read,which makes it suitable for ages 11 and up,I think.
So,I can recommend this to most people interested in dinosaurs. For kids,it is a perfect information source which they`ll love. And to paleontologists: buy it for the art!Just open the book and look at the first illustration on page 18. It will blow you away!

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dinosaurs!, May 10, 2002

By	Wendy Somerlot Bittel (Ohio) - See all my reviews

My three year old is just discovering dinosaurs and loves to look through this book. As a life long enthusiast, I have loved having the opportunity to share with him and learned a lot myself from this resource. There is information here for any age group. The book clearly outlines dinosaur families and discusses individual species in detail. The illustrations are fantastic. Any family with an interest in dinosaurs would love this book.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars National Geographic: Dinosaurs, October 23, 2002

By	Joe Zika "Khemprof" (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)

National Geographic: Dinosaurs written by Paul Barrett and illustrated by Raul Martin is a richly illustrated and fact-filled book about dinosaurs that ruled the Earth of 160 million years.

This book has stunning artwork making your imagination work overtime as you read the fascinating descriptions and there is a size chart with a human silhouette giving the reader a reality as to the size of some of these dinosaurs.

But, size is not the only thing discussed in this book, for instance, what were dinosaurs like, what did they eat, how did they interact, where were the fossil remains found, and what kind of habitat were they living in. All of there questions are answered to the best of todays painstaking research, informed imagination, and excavation by some of todays foremost dinosaur experts.

What I found very interesting is the integrative biology, how the dinosaurs not only acted within like kind or with different species, but also how the flora played and important roll in how the dinosaurs acted. Also, toward the back of the book, there is a chapter on the different theories as to why and how the dinosaurs became extinct.

This is a very good, well-illustrated and a very readable narrative. This book is well worth the money for an extremely fine reference book.