Gigantic!: How Big Were the Dinosaurs?

Gigantic: How Big Were the Dinosaurs? has been an instant hit with my little two and a half year old, but it would be good through young elementary school, too. First, the ART is wonderful--the dinosaurs are drawn realistically, in scale, next to modern or cool historical things--next to a fire engine, a monster truck, a knight on a horse, etc. If your kid, then, loves vehicles AND dinosaurs, you're getting double love from this excellent illustrations. Each page is really a two-page "splash" showing a dinosaur and something to give it scale; the dinosaur's name and meaninging; and then a quick sentence about the dinosaur, describing it. There's no story and not a lot of meat, textually, so it's really the art that'll get you. (Pronunciations, extra info, a great picture of all the dinosaurs lined up, in scale with each other, is at the very back). To be mildly cautious, there is reference to a couple of dinosaurs as "killers" and at least one fairly intimidating aquatic dinosaur (I forget the name--looks like a prehistoric sharl) coming towards a scared-looking scuba diver. If your child is timid or sensitive, you may want to look this book over yourself first. Highly recommended for your little dinosaur lover, otherwise, though.

This was a wonderful book. I highly recommend it for preschoolthrough early elementary ages. The illustrations of dinosaurs next toeveryday objects show children (and adults) how big these creatures really were. The book also translates the name of each dinosaur, and gives a fact to accompany each page. A wonderful read, well worth owning!