Don LessemCritiques

One of my first encyclopedias regarding prehistoric life- my copy is in poor condition now but the contents of this book are excellent. It taught me several new creatures I had never heard of at the time and even covers topics of more modern extinction events (such as the Javan Tiger). Clear facts and explanations. Although primarily aimed at children, this book includes so much information, easily comprehensible, and well presented, that older audiences may find pleasure in reading it as well.½

Large format, lots of illustrations. Published shortly after the body was found and long before the arrow was found; the author goes with the froze-to-death hypothesis which was popular at that time. Good description of the initial discovery and the progress to the realization that the iceman was a vital archaeological find. Apparently the iceman had started to develop a fungus because at first he was not refrigerated at all. He had to be defungused before he was refrigerated. The book also covers the likely culture in which he lived, the many items with which he was found, and provides a brief and certainly incorrect reconstruction of his final days. The photographs of the body, the equipment that was found nearby, and the discovery and extraction are very good. The artist's reconstructions are middling, but really not bad.½

Genghis Khan exhibition including pictorial information not included in exhibit

National Geographic is the powerhouse when it comes to resource books for children. This updated reference on dinosaurs covers every imaginable species you could ever imagine. Paleontologists have recently discovered ten new dinosaur profiles that are included in this jam-packed book.

This large hardcover is full of detailed illustrations and begins with covering the various habitats, family tree, migration, predators, and maps of some of the greatest finds over the years. Then each species of dinosaur is described with a detailed illustration, basic facts, pronunciation of the name, and a descriptive paragraph.

I have to admit that I had no idea there were this many different types of dinosaurs. I think it is extremely fascinating that paleontologists have been able to decipher the various differences just from fossils. Sharing how they lived and what they ate is quite an amazing discovery, even when finding pieces of fossilized dinosaurs recently. Tempesta's illustrations are extremely detailed and show the uniqueness of each dinosaur.

Even though this is written for elementary-aged children, I think any dinosaur fan would love to read this book. I know a high school student who dreams of being a paleontologist and I think he would even be intrigued by this book. I plan to pass it on to him. This reference would be a great asset to science and history classrooms as well.

Tyrannosaurus Rex takes readers back 65 million years ago, and allows one to imagine how earth was. A Tyrannosaurus was a fierce animal, but it also took care of its babies. The young babies grow quickly while the mother brings them food, and once the young T. Rexes are old they hunt. Eventually the young ones are old, and they become similar to the mother. The book was nice because it showed the fierce side of a T. Rex, and it showed the loving side of the mother. The cover of the book had a T. Rex on it, and that is what attracted me to it. I would love students to visit a natural history museum to see the skeletons of T. Rexes. I am taking an environmental science class, and I am learning about dinosaurs. I want to see a skeleton of a T. Rex because of this book.

Dinopedia is an interactive iPad e-book app from National Geographic that grabs the reader from the outset with a moving and roaring image of Tyrannosaurus Rex on the title page. It has multiple and easy options for moving through the book, and the numerous dinosaurs found here are covered through great colour images (with descriptions of the scenes), statistics, paragraphs with further information with optional voice narration, fun facts, and in some cases, the bios include short computer-graphics videos.

Fortunately, the consultants are credited with short bios, and there is also a glossary. While I personally found the voice narration annoying, many young kids will enjoy the “cool” and dangerous factor of someone talking about each dinosaur as though he was doing a radio advertisement for a monster truck rally.

Recommended age range: 7-12

Subjects/themes/curriculum connections:
• biology, paleontology
• could inspire students to try to multimedia projects for other topics on a smaller scale.½

Good informational book regarding a recently found mummified body found in the frozen ground that dates back 5,300 years ago. Graphical pictures. Might use for children grades 3-5.

A non-fiction story that gives children a look into the possible everyday life of the triceratops. Triceratops takes facts known about this dinosaur and puts it into story form. I thought this was a very creative approach!

Set up as a easy-to-follow guide through the geologic time scale, "Dinosaurs to Dodos" brings focus to several diverse yet extinct species ranging from 4.6 billion years ago to less than thirty years ago. With accurate illlustrations and tons of information, this book would perfectly fit into a science lesson. While it doesn't cover all of the former species of Earth, the neatly organized sections, based on geologic periods and epochs, this book contains enough scientific facts and theories to spark interest in the topic.

A fine book about extinctions up until historic times.

Lessem provides a the phonetic pronunciation of difficult and new words which I found extrememly helfpful and informative. THE ILLUSTRATOR'S (Jan Sovak) PAINTINGS ENCOURAGE OUR STUDENTS TO DRAW AND DIAGRAM THEIR ANIMAL AND HABITAT THROUGH DIFFERENT MEDIUMS, NOT JUST PENCIL.

The Ultimate Dinopedia is organized by the periods that are well known to young enthusiasts: Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. It includes every dinosaur ever discovered, and highlights 125 species that scientists know sufficiently to describe in rich detail. Special features include "How We Know What They Looked Like?", "Baby Dinosaurs," "Great Dinosaur Goofs," and much more. Every featured dino gets a fact box that delivers important information at a glance: scientific name, discoverer, place and date of discovery, length, habitat, diet, fossils, fun facts, and range map. This book provides—in fabulously illustrated, kid-friendly form—all the information an 8-year-old fact hound needs to lord that knowledge over parents and teachers!

Tayna- 4/1-returned