Shadow of the Dinosaurs (Hardcover)

by Dennis Nolan (Illustrator) "The sun was beginning to set behind the mountains when Shadow saw the bone half buried in the rocky soil..." (more)
Key Phrases: The Allosaurus

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Dennis Nolan weaves real-life dino facts into Shadow of the Dinosaurs, a fictional account of a family camping trip turned prehistoric adventure. In this follow-up to Dinosaur Dreams, the titular Dachshund digs up an unusual bone. As his owner sleeps, Shadow is swept up into a world transformed. Throughout, Nolan names the dinosaurs the dog encounters while realistic illustrations depict their wanderings. Opening pages picture the prehistoric creatures' silhouettes labeled with their name, pronunciation and length.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
K-Gr 3-Shadow is an endearing little dachshund who finds a dinosaur bone while camping out with Jesse and his family. When night falls, the bone glows blue and the dog is transported back into prehistoric times. She gets caught in an imminent battle between sauropods and theropods, and only escapes by burying the magic bone. When she returns to modern times, the boy wakes and tells the dog his dream, which matches her magical adventure. Nolan's watercolors are the main point of interest here. On one page, thick trees morph into sharp-toed dinosaur feet and later, boulders change into toothy theropods. The scenes showing the plucky black-and-orange pup surrounded by the huge dinosaurs are amusing, and two wordless spreads are vivid and dramatic. The story itself, however, is generally weak. Beyond the illustrations, there is nothing involving about the likely confrontation. Shadow's escape back to her own time is anticlimactic, and the tie in to the boy's dream is undeveloped. Carol Carrick's What Happened to Patrick's Dinosaurs (Clarion, 1986) and Paul Fleischman's Time Train (HarperTropy, 1994) have more inventive stories, but there's enough action here to engage young fans, who will especially enjoy the visuals.

Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Baby-Preschool
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1st edition (November 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689829744
• ISBN-13: 978-0689829741
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,426,283 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, Imaginative Tale for Dinosauroholics, November 21, 2001

By	E. Rothstein "erothstein" (STUDIO CITY, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

My two-year old daughter found this on our last trek to the bookstore, and fell in love with story of Shadow, a plucky dachshund, who finds a dinosaur bone in the woods, and later wakes to find that the bone has unleashed a return of the dinosaurs. Trees transform into sauropods, and boulders metamorphose into ferocious theropods. Soon the two factions of dinosaurs are at war, an enormous volcano erupts, and Shadow must find the dinosaur bone and bury it to put a stop to the destruction. The pictures are magnificent, and while the story is simple enough for a toddler, it is also rich enough to interest much older children (and adults). People think it is hilarious when my daughter recites the names of the various dinosaurs (brachiosaurus, allosaurus), and I'm thrilled that we may have a natural historian in the family. This is a terrific, entertaining and informative book for anyone who loves dinosaurs (and who in their right mind doesn't?).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Winner about a Weiner!!, December 7, 2003

By	A Reader "In" (Vacaville, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This wonderful book has fantastic illustrations that compliment the creative story about a boy and his dachshund. It is the best book I have found for children that involves a dachshund. As a dachshund owner, I looked far and wide for a wonderful book for my grandson, and when I found this one, I was finally satisfied. He loves the story and all the illustrations since he is not only in love with my puppies, but also with dinosaurs which are featured in the story. A definite Winner about a Weiner! You won't be disappointed! Adults and Children will love the book!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A boy and his dog. . . and dinosaurs!, March 29, 2002

By	Michael J. Mazza (Pittsburgh, PA USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

There are a lot of children's picture books about dinosaurs, but among them all "Shadow of the Dinosaurs," by Denis Nolan, is definitely something special. "Shadow" tells the story of Jesse, a young boy, and Shadow, his loyal dachshund. Shadow uncovers a bone. But the bone turns out to have paranormal powers, and soon the little dog is having a hair-raising encounter with a bunch of dinosaurs!

The paranormal element to the story is very well done, and gives the book a "Twilight Zone" meets "Jurassic Park" feel. The colorful illustrations blend realistic detail with memorably imaginative images. "Shadow" is also interesting in that the dog is really the main character of the book; Jesse is a supporting character. And the resourceful Shadow is quite an admirable heroine. Overall, this book is a fine blend of suspense, fantasy, and dinosaur science.