Guide to Wild Dinosaurs

Gr. 5-12. The design of this authoritative reference is as great as the information. Instead of the usual huge dinosaur picture books with spreading, toylike images of the gigantic creatures, this small hardcover volume is a reference book packaged like a field guide that can easily fit in a backpack. For each of the 120 dinosaur species and the other prehistoric animals that lived alongside them, there's a double-page spread that includes a color portrait, a distribution map, a designation showing the group the animal belongs to, an "ID Fact File," and a few paragraphs of essential information. The style is clear and direct, and there are a brief general introduction, an excellent annotated bibliography of books and Web sites, and useful indexes by name and time period. High-school students as well as smart younger readers will enjoy dipping into the pages for facts. And that word wild in the title evokes an exciting alternative to museum visits and video fantasies. Hazel Rochman
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