The Amazing Dinosaur Detectives: Amazing facts, myths and quirks of the dinosaur world - Hardcover

Li, Maggie

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1843653079 ISBN 13: 9781843653073

Publisher: Pavilion Children’s Books, 2017

Synopsis

The Amazing Dinosaur Detectives is a fun and informative insight into the inner and outer world of everything dinosaur. We all know that the dinosaurs walked the Earth millions of years ago, but we’re going to break the myths behind their extinction.

Some dinosaurs had amazing teeth, claws, scales and hidden talents. Even though most were smaller than the T-Rex, they could outwit them and stay on top. You may think we’re joking when we say Gigantosaurus, but we’re not – there really was such a thing and we’re going to get to the bottom of what it looked like and how it survived in such a hostile world.

Explore fossils, see how long the dinosaurs actually lived on Earth (compared to us!) and see what the Earth actually looked like in their time. Which dinosaur was the longest? Which was the fastest? Which was the loudest? Find out who was a clever dinosaur, and who was not…

We reveal the hidden talents of their daily lives, what they ate and how they ate it, how they entertained themselves, how they battled with each other, how they made their homes and what eventually caused their demise.

Following on from BUG DETECTIVE and THE AMAZING HUMAN BODY DETECTIVES, this follows the same interesting, fun and quirky style to look at dinosaurs in all their shapes and sizes. Hidden elements appear on every page making this interactive and enjoyable. This series looks at the facts as well as dispelling the myths.

About this title

About the Author

Maggie is a freelance illustrator working in London since she graduated from Kingston University in 2010. She is the Art Director of popular magazine, OKIDO and has worked on their TV series, The Okido Show, aired on Cbeebies. Her work has appeared in The Big Issue, Sunday Times, Telegraph, Le Monde, Reader's Digest, New Statesman, Wired, Time Out, Flamingo magazine and Condé Nast Traveller. She also works with Google, Eurostar, Heineken and American Airlines.

Reviews

Gr 2–5—Jam-packed with browsable bits of information, this title will find its most enthusiastic audience with readers newly bitten by the dino bug. Each spread covers a different prehistory-related topic and resembles a cross between DK's "Eyewitness" books and a graphic novel. Comical illustrations of dinosaurs and archaeologists (who serve double duty as a size comparison reference for readers) are interspersed with factual tidbits. In a particularly humorous turn, the "Carnivore" spread imagines a T. rex and a velociraptor sharing a roasted triceratops for dinner, complete with a pie for dessert and a bottle of wine. Amid the page's facts on carnivorous dinosaurs, T. rex is awarded a trophy for "Scariest Dinosaur." Other spreads discuss the basics of fossil formation, extinction theories, and dinosaur camouflage and armor. While the material presented is accurate and up-to-date, the lack of in-depth content will disappoint established dinosaur fans. At the same time, the absence of a glossary or pronunciation guide may mean that this title won't meet the needs of readers new to the subject. There are some activities and simple games listed on the last several pages, and a small magnifying glass set into the cover invites readers to take a closer look at all the detailed illustrations. VERDICT Li's offering will appeal to budding dinosaur experts looking for trivia with which to impress their friends. Consider for large collections.—Katherine Barr, Cameron Village Regional Library, Raleigh, NC

Edition details

• Publisher: Pavilion Children’s Books
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1843653079
• ISBN 13: 9781843653073
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 32