Dinotopia - Hardcover

Gurney, James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0060280034 ISBN 13: 9780060280031

Publisher: HarperColl, 1998

Synopsis

Welcome to James Gurney's fantastic lost world of Dinotopia, where humans and intelligent dinosaurs have lived together in harmony for centuries, undiscovered by the rest of the world. Now these New York Times bestselling books are available from HarperCollins. The Dinotopia books are a celebration of the imagination for readers of all ages. In 1862, biologist Arthur Denison and his young son Will are washed up on the shore of an uncharted island, where they discover humans and an ancient race of dinosaurs sharing a civilization of wonder and adventure.

About this title

About the Author:

James Gurney's fantasy art has appeared on the covers of more than 70 books, and his art appears regularly in National Geographic. He is the author and illustrator of Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time, Dinotopia: The World Beneath, and is currently working on his third Dinotopia book, which will be published in Fall 2000. He lives in the Hudson Valley of New York State with his family.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 4 Up-- Arthur Denison, a Victorian scientist, and his son Will are shipwrecked on an amazing island . Here, dinosaurs live in harmony with a colony of humans, made up of other marooned travelers and their descendants. Will and his father are fascinated by the technology of their new home. They visit a hatchery, a blacksmith in Volcaneum, and a city built on waterfalls. The boy is most impressed by the Skybax Riders, people who are trained to fly on winged reptiles. Deciding to join them, he goes through their rigorous training program. In the meantime, his father finds a route to the dinosaur underground, a mythic place referred to in old dinosaur tales. He returns to find his son has ``earned his wings,'' but his discoveries are saved for (one assumes) another book. This fairytale will capture the interests of older fantasy readers--those perhaps, who enjoy the ``Lord of the Rings'' trilogy (Houghton), or Lewis's ``Narnia'' series (Macmillan). Younger readers, too, will be enticed by the dramatic, full-color illustrations, which include both panoramic sweeps of the utopian cities and detailed sketches of Dinotopian contraptions. While the women are more active than their Victorian counterparts, the adventurers here are still Will and Dad. Also, the illustrations tend to portray nonwhite Dinotopians as exotics, a stereotype better left in the past. Overall, the success of this story depends upon readers' ability to accept these creatures as peaceful, intelligent herbivores. Advanced readers who find sharp-toothed carnivores more to their liking may prefer a visit to Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park (Knopf, 1990), for a not-so-tame tale also set on a dinosaur isle. --Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: HarperColl
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0060280034
• ISBN 13: 9780060280031
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 168
• Illustrator: Gurney James