Dinosaurs!: The Biggest Baddest Strangest Fastest (Hardcover)

by Howard Zimmerman (Author), Various (Illustrator) "Mamenchisaurus is one of the largest dinosaurs ever discovered in Asia..." (more)
Key Phrases: dinosaur family, toe claws, plant eater, North America, South America, United States

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Troodon. Suchomimus. Carcharodontosaurus. No, these are not rare diseases but rather the names of just a few of the fantastic creatures called dinosaurs that roamed the earth hundreds of millions of years ago. This oversized, full-color picture book approaches the subject with a flair. Artists from around the world painted over 75 illustrations of these diverse creatures, sometimes offering varying perspectives on what the dinosaurs might have looked like. Each painting presents the very latest scientific views on their appearance, but the text emphasizes that no one knows for sure what they looked like, beyond what can be pieced together from fossils. Dinosaurs may even have been brightly colored, like their relatives, lizards and birds.

Authors Howard Zimmerman and George Olshevsky chose to divide the book according to dinosaur size and speed, eating habits, and appearance. Scientifically accurate and up-to-date, the text provides the kind of information dinosaur fans really want to know. Discover the strangest looking dinosaurs (including Therizinosaurus, with its two-and-a-half-foot-long curved claws and broad-billed toothless beak), the largest (at up to 170 feet tall, the "earthshaking lizard" Seismosaurus is aptly named), and the deadliest (the smart, speedy, saw-toothed Velociraptor was one dinosaur you wouldn't want to meet in a dark alley). This book has 'em all, from the Triassic to the Jurassic to the Cretaceous periods. (Ages 7 and older) --Emilie Coulter

From School Library Journal
Grade 2-5-Dramatic illustrations of awesome dinosaurs rank this book several notches above the average. Zimmerman groups his dinosaurs mostly by physical characteristics in chapters with headings such as "The Biggest Meat Eaters," "The Strangest-Looking Dinosaurs," and "The Last Dinosaurs." There's a fair amount of information about each creature, and pronunciation guides for names like Pachycephalosaurus. The author includes facts about newly discovered animals such as the Suchomimus, a dinosaur with a huge, crocodilelike mouth. Pictures dominate, and the tall, oversized format is perfect for displaying these gigantic creatures. A towering Tyrannosaurus actually looks like it could eat 500 pounds of meat in one bite. The book often offers several artists' takes on the same animal, showing how appearance, color, and anatomy are still open to interpretation. An intriguing portrayal of some amazing creatures.
Cathryn A. Camper, formerly at Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 64 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum (May 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689832761
• ISBN-13: 978-0689832765
• Product Dimensions: 15.2 x 8.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #274,583 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dinosaurs! The Biggest, Baddest, Strangest, and Fastest, November 13, 2002

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

Dinosaurs! The Biggest, Baddest, Strangest, and Fastest written by Howard Zimmerman is a short, but fully illustrated book of some very unusual dinosaurs. Just as in the title of the book you will find some different looking dinosaurs, and these dinosaurs were found all over the earth's surface.

Your favorite monsters of the Mesozic are accounted for here. Some seventy-five beautiful illustrations are found in this book. I would rate this book not only for children who have a fascination for dinosaurs, but also adults. There is information reguarding some of the species that wasn't out when I first got interested in dinosauria.

For instance, some the the dinosaurs weithed more than a dozen African elephants, a dinosaur that had claw nearly 3 feet in length, dinosaurs that could run faster than an ostrich, some as small as cats, and of course the famous foot claw of the raptors.

There is a pronunciation guide in this book to help the younger reader to master the dinosaur names. Informantion found about the dinosaurs comes for finds in China, Africa and South America where you'll find a meat-eating dinosaur larger than T.rex.

There is information about each of the dinosaur family, that is the period and area in which they lives, eating habits, peculiar attributes. Also found near the end of the book there is a listings on the World Wide Web for those with computers to follow up on the dinosaurs.

This is a short book, but the information is top notch. If you child like dinosaurs this would be an excellent choice.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars It`s Incredible!, May 9, 2001

By A Customer

I am normally interested in bigger,more fact-covering dinosaur books. But here I make an exception. This oversized,full-colour artbook is amazing!It covers all the most extreme dinosaurs and some others too. Finally,we have an updated dinosaur records book. I can give a presentation of it here : the first chapter covers the biggest sauropods (Brachiosaurus and Seismosaurus) and the second chapter has the biggest meat-eaters (T-rex and Giganotosaurus).The third has the raptors,as it treats the most dangerous dinos,and the fourth chapter covers the strangest,such as the 3-foot clawed Therizinosaur and the crested Parasaurolophus. The fourth one covers the spiky armored ones and the next covers the fastest,like Struthiomimus. The last two covers the first dinosaus discovered and the latest ones,like Iguanodon and Cryolophosaurus. The paintings are so inspiring and beautifull that they cannot be described in words. It really gives me inspiration to my own drawings and I imagine the pictures and video caps from a movie screen from a film I wish existed and I would create. I am surprised the price was so low. Normally,I can expect a price of [...] or more. It is now your decision to chose if you want to spend [...] for Dinosaur Imagery or just [...] for this!I have done mine. I get a lot of inspiration and save a lot of money. It is definitly worth the price,only for the paintings.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dinosaurs: The Biggest, Baddest, Strangest, Fastest, May 9, 2000

By	J. Zimmerman (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

First, I must say that I am not related to Mr. Zimmerman. I just want to say that my speech and language impaired daughter is a big dinosaur fan, and when she saw the cover of this book, she was thrilled. I bought it and we have had a wonderful time together reading it. She is so fascinated by all these dinosaurs and I have to compliment Mr. Zimmerman and Mr. Olshevsky for the way they have made the world of dinosaurs accessible to kids--especially kids with learning disabilities. We have had the best time looking at the art and reading the text. This is a truly beautiful book! Thank you so much!