The Visual Dictionary of Dinosaurs

Close-up photographs, anatomical models, complete labels and captions, and an informative introductory text reveal the extraordinary prehistoric world of the dinosaurs.

With the book and the movie Jurassic Park such hot properties, this well-timed book helps fill the continuing appetite for dinosauria. One in a successful series of visual dictionaries, it is devoted to the specialized vocabulary of dinosaur anatomy and classification. It provides more than 200 brightly colored illustrations, charts, and incisive text. Although targeted at 10- to 12-year-olds, it will also appeal to older students and adults. The text does not talk down to readers by oversimplifying concepts or language. Full Latin names for dinosaurs are used, but pronunciation is not given. Additionally, younger children can enjoy the exotic illustrations. A comprehensive index assists readers in locating every dinosaur mentioned or illustrated in the book.

The volume is organized in two-page spreads for geological periods from the earliest, the Triassic, to the latest, the Cretaceous. These pages indicate what the earth looked like during the period. Following are double-page spreads on specific dinosaurs from small theropods to Ceratopsians. Other sections cover "Hands and Claws," "Feet and Tracks," "Dinosaur Relatives," and "Dinosaur Classification." This latter chart is elaborately color-coded with a clear key.

As in other books in this series, pages may seem cluttered. However, concepts are clearly presented. On the "Feet and Tracks" spread, for example, fossils, skeletons, and dinosaur drawings are clearly linked. Another feature that adds immensely to the informativeness of the book is the cutaway illustrations showing dinosaur internal organs and bone and muscle relationships.

This book is highly recommended for public and school libraries. Although its reference value is clear, a circulating copy is desirable, since it is hardly a book that can be absorbed in a single consultation. It complements the many dinosaur books available, such as The New Illustrated Dinosaur Dictionary (1990) and Macmillan Children's Guide to Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Animals (1992). A previous Dorling Kindersley book, Dinosaur (1989), does not classify the animals systematically.