Dinosaur books always delight and intrigue young children, especially boys. There's just something about these gigantic prehistoric animals that draw youngsters to them. Here are 3 wonderful books about these creatures of along ago:
"My Dinosaur",
written by Mark Alan Weatherby, is a beautiful picture book that is also
illustrated by the author. It's about a little girl who goes on a midnight
adventure with her dinosaur. As she waits by the window looking out into
the dark, you can't help but notice her sweetly drawn face. The detail is
so rich with color and lines that you can feel her expression of anticipation as
she awaits her giant friend. Soon, she jumps on his large speckled back
and rides throughout the pages of the book, discovering and exploring all
through the thick jungles and swamps. As you turn each page to see where
her adventure takes you next, you will marvel at the incredible paintings of
each picture. The text goes perfectly with each page as if it were part of
each picture. I find this seems to work at it's best when the author of a
picture book is also it's illustrator. You and your young child will find
yourselves going on this adventure again and again with this outstanding book.
A great book for 3 to 7 year olds.
"Dinosaur for a Day", by Jim Murphy, is a picture book that is packed with information about the Hypsilophodon. I learned so much about this extinct dinosaur that I never knew before. Each page is filled with facts about how it lived, where it lived and what it ate. There is even information about who it's greatest enemy was, the Deinonychus. There is a forward at the beginning of the book that has even more information that an adult could read and relate more simplistically to a child, depending on the child's age. The beautiful pictures have a familiar touch to them because they are also done by the very talented Mark Alan Weatherby. This type of picture book is best fitted for a child that is 6 or older because there is much more text on each page. However, a younger child would probably be drawn to this outstanding book simply because of the pictures. The parent could quickly gleam the high points from each page and retell them to the child in order to keep their interest. Jim Murphy is a favorite non-fiction author of mine because he writes with such majesty and is able to easily dispense information in such an interesting way. I've reviewed some of his other outstanding books. I found it interesting that at the back of the book, I read about how Mr. Weatherby went to the Pacific Science Center in Seattle to study, ponder and view these giant animals in order to draw them more realistically. He even climbed on the life size creations and felt and observed how they moved, even though they moved by a hydraulic system. It's no wonder that these pictures of the dinosaurs are some of the very best I've seen.
"The Last Dinosaur", also by Jim Murphy and illustrated by Mark Alan Weatherby, is another picture book that is filled with information. This particular book is all about the Triceratops. I would recommend this book, as with the last book, for children 6 or older because there is so much text on each page that it would be difficult to keep a younger child's attention. However, because this book is so rich with its beautiful pictures and loaded with interesting information [like the previous review] a parent could just bring out a few interesting points about each page for a younger child. There is also a forward about Triceratops' facts as well as all kinds of facts at the back about many other kinds of dinosaurs. Mr. Murphy, obviously researched and spent many hours learning about these extinct animals before even picking up a pen to write about them. I have found that expert illustrators research in many of the same ways by actually going to locations to observe what it is that they need to draw to make it more life-like. So, it's not so surprising to find this author and illustrator doing just this to produce wonderful, informational picture books that children will not only learn from, but want to pick up again and again.
Here are some more great Dinosaur books for you and your child to enjoy:
"Dinosaurs!: Strange and
Wonderful" by Laurence Pringle and
illustrated by Carol Heyer
"We're Back!: A Dinosaur's Story"
written and illustrated by Hudson Talbott
"Time Flies" written
and illustrated by Eric Rohmann
"The Enormous Egg" by
Oliver Butterworth and illustrated by Louis Darling
"The Magic School Bus in the Time of the
Dinosaurs" by Joanna Cole and illustrated
by Bruce Degen
"Bone Poems" by
Jeff Moss and illustrated by Tom Leigh