Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings

My 4-yr-old son has loved dinos since he was 2, so I have read MANY dino books. After awhile, they all seem the same. THIS ONE IS AMAZING! Both my son and I loved the pictures (he especially loved the hidden "3" on each Triceratops and the Pterosaurs disguised as airplanes) and the poetry. I can actually keep straight some of the dinosaur facts now also. While the illustrations are not super-bright, they are just right for introducing children to various types of art. This is my favorite chidren's book of all time.

Which geologic period came first: the Jurassic, the Cretaceous, or the Triassic? I could not have told you last week, but thanks to reading Douglas Florian's DINOTHESAURUS I have discovered a fun way to remember: "The dinosaurs First lived outdoors During the time Triassic. While most died out, Some came about Later in the Jurassic. Then they evolved, As Earth revolved, In times known as Cretaceous. But now indoors Great dinosaurs Fill museum halls, spacious." Accompanying this dino-poem on a two-page spread (the first of twenty) is a hysterically funny illustration of a window-filled museum with dinosaurs craning their heads out in places and skeletal parts visible in other places. Douglas Florian has created these lots-to-look-at illustrations with "gouache, collage, colored pencils, stencils, dinosaur dust, and rubber stamps on primed brown paper bags." I suspect that sharing and explaining THAT knowledge about picturebook illustrative technique will inspire some dino-mighty art projects. And while I'm not by any means suggesting that 86-year old Ashley Bryan is a dinosaur, just because I'm dragging his name into this review, but Ashley totally inspired me the other night at this year's Newbery Caldecott banquet with the rousing call-and-response chants of poems he led during his Laura Ingalls Wilder Award acceptance speech. In similar fashion, one can take any of Douglas Florian's poems from DINOTHESAURUS and do similar call-and-response chants with kids. That's my plan for injecting poetry and high-spirited audience participation into a set of booktalks that I have scheduled for later this week. Try this one out: "Stegosaurus steg-oh-SAW-rus (roof lizard) "Ste-go-SAUR-us Herb-bi-VOR-ous Dined on plants inside the forest. Bony plates grew on its back, Perhaps to guard it from attack. Or to help identify A Stegosaurus girl or guy. Its brain was smaller than a plum. Stegosaurus was quite DUMB." Most everyone loves dinosaurs (Not that we'd necessarily want one showing up in the backyard.), and there are many dinosaur books out there. But so frequently, dinosaur books seem to contain long, encyclopedic entries that cause many young readers to look at the dinosaur names and the images while skipping the text. In rocking, rollicking contrast, DINOTHESAURUS is readable, lyrical, and fun while still being irreverently and subversively educational. DINOTHESAURUS concludes with a "Glossarysaurus;" a listing of dinosaur museums and fossil sites; and selected biography and further reading. Douglas Florian's DINOTHESAURUS is a picture book that is chock-full of cool poetry; great illustrations with kid sensibilities, and is a must-have that will be a favorite of dino-lovers everywhere.

Dinosaurs lived a long, long time ago and as many dino fans know, lived in eras known as Triassic, Jurassic and Creataceous. You can see some of these creatures peering through windows in a building. Some look mischievous while others look fierce. There are bones sticking out of windows too. I wonder if you know which dinosaur they belong to? When the pages in this book are turned you'll meet your favorites in pictures and rhyme. There they are ... a Brachiosaurus, a Stegosaurus, a giganotosaurus, the plesiosaurs, a seismosaurus, a baryonyx, a tyrannosaurus rex, an iguanodon, a triceratops, a ankylosaurus, a barosaurus, a deinonychus, a stegaceras, a micropachycephalosaurus, a troodon, the pterosaurs, a minmi, and a spinosaurus. Whew, I wonder if you can pronounce all their names! Troodon TROH-oh-don (wounding tooth) Said to be brainy. Said to be bright. But what did it read? And what did it write? Said to be crafty. Said to be smart. But did it make music? Or did it do art? Said to be witty And wise when it thinked. If it was so smart, How come it's extinct? This was an ultra-witty and clever book that if you want to take a peek you'll have trouble prying it out of the hands of a young dinosaur fan. Each poem is accompanied by a pronunciation guide (not needed by the real dino fan). I was very taken with the muted color palette and eagerly turned the pages to see what I'd find next. This type of art may not appeal to all, but was a big hit with this reader! In the back of the book is a thorough Glossarysaurus, a listing of dinosaur museums, fossil sites and additional recommended reading resources. This is a Junior Library Guild Selection that's well worth the money!

I was somewhat disappointed in the illustrations in this book. The poems are excellent, but the watercolors look faded--and this is a new production. I think bright colors and distinct outlines are best for children and this book does NOT fulfil that qualitication. The stuff on dinosaurs is OK.