Dinosaurs!: The Biggest, Baddest, Strangest, Fastest ANNOTATION
Presents facts about and illustrations of dinosaurs, grouped by size, speed, eating habits, and appearance.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Here are those marvelous monsters of the Mesozoic as you've never seen them before!
In this colossal collection, you will find dinosaurs larger than houses and dinosaurs as small as cats. Dinosaurs faster than Ostriches. Dinosaurs with 12-inch claws that could rip prey in two. Feathered dinosaurs. Dinosaurs heavier than a dozen African elephants, and dinosaurs more fearsome than T.rex.
Dinosaurs! is filled with giant glorious illustrations -- over 75 paintings in all. Created by the world's artists, they capture scientists' latest way of looking at dinosaurs as fast, active, and often deadly creatures. Dinosaurs! also features art and information about new and recent discoveries from China, Africa, and South America. Details on each dinosaur family, such as the period and area in which it lived, eating habits, peculiar attributes, a pronunciation guide to all the names, plus a listing of the best places to find out more about dinosaurs on the World Wide Web are also included. Dinosaurs! is divided into easily identifiable sections. Whether you are interested in seeing the largest dinosaurs that ever lived, the fastest, or the most deadly hunters, you can turn right to your favorite monsters from the Mesozoic.
FROM THE CRITICS
Children's Literature - Childrens Literature
Although dinosaurs died out over 65 million years ago, they continue to fascinate many people and scientists are constantly discovering new varieties. Dinosaurs in Zimmerman's book have been grouped according to size, speed, appearance, and eating habits. Although no one knows the true appearance of these amazing creatures, the latest theories came into play for the illustrations which are incredible! A multitude of artists have captured the awesome beasts in glorious color and action. Dinosaurs are grouped as in the title of the book. Seismosaurus or "earthshaking Lizard" who could be up to 170 feet long was the largest of the plant eaters. Scientists believe that this creature consumed stones to help crush and digest the tons of plants it needed to live. If you think that Tyranasuarus Rex was the most fearsome meat eater, then you probably have not heard of Gigantosaurus! Although it was a huge beast it was so slow that it probably survived by scavenging. The deadliest dinosaur hunter was probably Utahraptor, while the strangest must be the one nicknamed "scythe lizard"! Dinosaur web sites are included and the text is fun to read, making this a valuable reference source. Some of the awesome illustrations are not for the timid viewer, but dinosaur enthusiasts will want to see them again and again. 2000, Atheneum Books for young Readers/Simon & Schuster, Ages 8 up, $17.95. Reviewer: Laura Hummel
School Library Journal
Gr 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 Cahners Business Information.|
Kirkus Reviews
Melodrama is the name of the game in this tall-format browsing item. With jaw-dropping precision, a dozen specialist illustrators depict scaled, spotted, crested, feathered, but mainly toothy, predators attacking similarly decorated prey, prowling alertly, or ominously, just seeming to catch sight of the viewer. Like the art, the text incorporates recent discoveries and theories, though its brevity makes for repetitiveness; an assertion that Velociraptor could "bite off huge chunks of meat at a time" needs rephrasing;, and not every prehistoric critter shown is identified. Considering the violence in nearly every scene, there is surprisingly little blood, but strict realism is not what this is about. Dinosaur and monster fans may be left wide-eyed, but they'll find more to chew over in Dougal Dixon's Amazing Dinosaurs (p. 128). (Web sites, chart of groups, index) (Nonfiction. 8-11)
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