YES, I DO!!! With colourful and absolutely comic illustrations, Matt Robertson brings to this non-fiction picture book an inviting, reader friendly, fountain of dino knowledge. Instead of chunky blocks of complicated text, we can have fun with scattered bits of information that make sense in the whole but are also interesting to read on their own.
A fun mini-encyclopaedia style that makes it great for reluctant readers.
An inclusive book with dinos and kids from all over the world.
Any child can learn and have fun with this book at any level of knowledge about the subject. Not only will you find a lot about different species and subspecies of dinosaurs, but also extra information like how a fossil is made or the different sizes and shapes of eggs.
I had no idea that the eggs of a Titanosaur, the biggest dinosaurs ever found, were no bigger than a melon!
That’s another thing, for me one of the best characteristics of the book is having comparisons that actually help us have an idea of the real thing. For example, saying that a Dilophosaur was as long as a killer-whale or that the Carnotaurus was as fast as a grizzly bear, instead of giving measurements. Also explaining the meaning of the scientific name of the dinosaur helps a lot with understanding and remembering it, like Theropod means ‘beast-footed’ and Compsognathus means ‘pretty jaw’ (awwww).
It is an accurate book as well. It is one rare thing to see picture books in which the Therapods actually present feathers and their genetic proximity with birds. I was surprised to see the differentiation between subspecies of raptors, like their sizes and behaviours when hunting. Most people’s knowledge about velociraptors comes from a certain ‘jurassic’ movie, and this book shows how the raptor family was actually very different than what we expect. Oh, and if you love that movie, pay attention to a tiny reference hidden in one of the spreads (thanks, Matt!), only good observers will find it.
Matt Robertson certainly has done justice for dinosaur lovers in this book, it was so much fun to read and look at. A must have for dino lovers of all ages! I got mine for my 34th birthday, and I absolutely love it.
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