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Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time
(Dinotopia)
by
In the year 1860, biologist and explorer Arthur Denison and his son, Will, set out on a sea voyage of discovery and adventure. When a powerful typhoon wrecks the ship in uncharted waters, Arthur and Will are the sole survivors. Washed ashore on a strange island called Dinotopia, they are amazed to find a breathtaking world where cities are built on waterfalls, people have
...more
Paperback, 160 pages
Published
March 1st 2003
by HarperTrophy
(first published 1992)
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Kendall Moore
Only Jumanji comes to mind. :)
Amy
The books are even better! I love the movie but the illustrated books are spectacular.
Community Reviews
Showing 1-30
Start your review of Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time
Jun 01, 2007
J.G. Keely
rated it
really liked it
Recommends it for:
Children, Artists, Dinosaur Lovers
This fanciful retelling of "The Land that Time Forgot" would just be a passable (if fun) story if not for Gurney's rather lovely artwork. His imagining of his new and strange world carries a depth and weight that, to be trite, truly transports you there--but then, that's what he built his career on.
A competent draughtsman who plied his imagining of ancient Egyptian rituals and architectural recreations in the pages of National Geographic, Gurney's style evokes the travelogue of a naturalist (whi ...more
A competent draughtsman who plied his imagining of ancient Egyptian rituals and architectural recreations in the pages of National Geographic, Gurney's style evokes the travelogue of a naturalist (whi ...more
A very exceptional book, in many ways. Readers of this critique, please don't think that I'm giving this book five stars simply because it was a childhood favorite (and I openly admit to having loved this book since I was a child). Dinotopia is the kind of book that is so easy laugh at at the mere description: two travelers stumble on a hidden island where humans and dinosaurs live together! Break out the grenades, cavewomen, and giant apes, right?
The reason Dinotopia deserves five stars is tha ...more
The reason Dinotopia deserves five stars is tha ...more
One the most beautiful, creative books I've read in a while. It's one of those stories that really brings me back to the simplicity and honesty of the natural world. The most memorable part for me (besides the absolutely gorgeous illustrations) about their conception of time.
"You of the west," Malik said, "think of time moving in a straight line, from past to present to future. Your eastern brothers regard time as a circle, returning endlessly in a cycle of decay and rebirth. Both ideas have a ...more
"You of the west," Malik said, "think of time moving in a straight line, from past to present to future. Your eastern brothers regard time as a circle, returning endlessly in a cycle of decay and rebirth. Both ideas have a ...more
Sep 26, 2019
Abigail
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Dinosaur Lovers / Anyone Who Appreciates Immersive Works of Fantasy
Shipwrecked in the South Pacific, Arthur Denison and his young son Will find themselves rescued by dolphins and delivered to the lost island of Dinotopia in this gorgeously illustrated picture-book/novel. "A Land Apart from Time," according to the book's sub-title, Dinotopia is a hidden continent where dinosaurs never went extinct, are highly evolved and intelligent, and now live in a peaceful society together with the humans that have washed up on their shores over the centuries. Although their
...more
This book, since I was first shown it over a decade ago, has maintained the position in my library as being the most exquisitely illustrated of any book I have ever come across. This, in a family where quality illustrated books are highly prised and acquired regularly. One of my father's most recognisable t-shirts was a picture from this book along with some footprint text. The cover reminds me of Alma-Tadema at his best.
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I realize that I'm waaaaay late to this party, but I just randomly found this book in the library, and I have never even heard Dinotopia before. I'm ridiculously excited.
My biggest problem with Jurassic Park has always been that I would have loved to just watch scientists doing science stuff, instead of any of the screaming and the running... and this book does exactly that. It is not an adventure novel, but an explorer's journal, full of sketches of everyday life in great, vivid, amazingly crea ...more
My biggest problem with Jurassic Park has always been that I would have loved to just watch scientists doing science stuff, instead of any of the screaming and the running... and this book does exactly that. It is not an adventure novel, but an explorer's journal, full of sketches of everyday life in great, vivid, amazingly crea ...more
Enchanting!
A Gulliver-esque Arthur and Will Denison (a father and son) are shipwrecked on a lost island continent where dinosaurs and humans live peacefully together. During their time on the island Arthur writes an anthropological journal detailing his discoveries with great illustrations like a Charles Darwin. At some point his journal(s) would be discovered by James Gurney....
Overall, there is nothing so amazing about the plot, what makes this book unique is Gurney's imagination and the amazi ...more
A Gulliver-esque Arthur and Will Denison (a father and son) are shipwrecked on a lost island continent where dinosaurs and humans live peacefully together. During their time on the island Arthur writes an anthropological journal detailing his discoveries with great illustrations like a Charles Darwin. At some point his journal(s) would be discovered by James Gurney....
Overall, there is nothing so amazing about the plot, what makes this book unique is Gurney's imagination and the amazi ...more
This book is, in a word, extraordinary. The artwork is sublime in its beauty conjuring images of a land lost to time yet not so lost as to be forgotten. That is, it feels like the place could actually exist in our world. Also, Gurney's talent for historical illustration is evident in all of the paintings herein; the Dinosaur Abu Simbel is breathtaking. In terms of story, it is a great homage to Jules Verne's work and a moving tale of discovery in its own right. I will DEFINITELY be reading the s
...more
Aug 16, 2019
Adam Arzberger
rated it
it was amazing
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-s-picture-books
One of the most beautifully illustrated books I’ve ever seen. Reminiscent of ‘Gulliver’s Travels’, the story is rich and exciting and transports the reader to the island of Dinotopia where dinosaurs and humans live in perfect symbiosis. A highlight is the inclusion of the dinosaur’s ‘footprint alphabet’ which allows the reader to go back through the book and decipher all the signs and symbols dotted throughout. Written in diary form, this story also affords the opportunity to encourage children
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Don't care about the words, the art is gorgeous and tells a story in itself.
...more
I don’t normally review children’s book, but I was recently reminded of this story that I read with my dad growing up. This is a “MUST READ” for all kids and particularly fans of dinosaurs as far as I’m concerned. The art in this book is reason alone to pick it up (or any in the series). The pictures were mesmerizing growing up and I remember often just staring through it. The story is also wonderful and a great compliment.
What makes this book particularly good, however, is that the story goes ...more
What makes this book particularly good, however, is that the story goes ...more
I remember being a kid, looking at this in my local library. I was too young to read it, but would stare at the pictures, entranced, imagining what the story was. This weekend, I came across a copy in a used bookstore and decided it would be mine! I was not disappointed. For a grownup, this is a fast read - a fun introduction to a fantasy world where humans and dinosaurs live together in harmony. Of course, the illustrations are gorgeous.
Similar title:
Gnomes by Wil Huygen
Similar title:
Gnomes by Wil Huygen
I owned a copy of this book as a kid and flipped through it countless times, to admire the beautiful illustrations. I never actually read it until this year, and what do you know? The writing is actually pretty great too. What's more the interplay between the images and the text is very well handled. The whole story is a great exercise in world building.
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One of the most visually captivating books we have ever read. The story is beautiful and tender. The illustration is true art. This is a wonderful book for children's imaginations!
...more
"Dinotopia" by James Gurney is an illustrated tale told in journal form. A father and son are shipwrecked on an other-worldly island populated by people from all around the world, and dinosaurs from all eras. The humans and dinosaurs live together, Fred Flinstone style. The beasts perform a variety of duties such as providing transportation, and are cared for as a loving farmer would tend the farm animals. Some dinosaurs are able to communicate through their own language which human interpreters
...more
A hard one to rate. On the one hand, the dinosaurs are great and the world is so inventive. I am tempted to give the book 5 stars based on the deinonychus librarian's scroll-reading treadmill alone. I LOVE IT!!! The illustrations are fantastic and really boost the book.
I think what the book really lacked was a good story/narrator. The book is written as a 19th century man's journal, which is part of the conceit, but I think it kind of held things back. I didn't like the guy's tone and I was more ...more
I think what the book really lacked was a good story/narrator. The book is written as a 19th century man's journal, which is part of the conceit, but I think it kind of held things back. I didn't like the guy's tone and I was more ...more
The original Dinotopia book is essentially a long picture book made for all ages. But although the art is breathtakingly gorgeous, it is not the main reason is a classic. It is one of those books that has a uniquely magic quality to it. The reader is transported to an idyllic world where humanity and nature live in perfect harmony and better one another. It desperately makes the reader want to go there as well, and also stay there. Although there is much left unexplained and open, a marvelous st
...more
I adored this illustrated story as a child. Rereading it as an adult confirmed the enduring magnificence of the illustrations and also the story's powerful evocation of wonder. Gurney is far from a Darwinian ideologue. Much of the narrative seems to hint at a desire for a sort of Jeffersonian and Edenic world in which violence is eradicated and the pristinity of the natural world is retained even as a high civilization develops within it. And the obvious addition of dinosaurs makes this attracti
...more
Dec 27, 2017
Kataryna Hermans
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-i-own
Amazing illustrations from one of my favourite stories.
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Born June 14, 1958 in Glendale, California. Raised in Palo Alto, the youngest of five children of Joanna and Robert Gurney (a mechanical engineer). Earned a B.A. in Anthropology in 1979 with Phi Beta Kappa honors from the University of California at Berkeley. Studied painting at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena,California, where he met his wife Jeanette. In 1984 they moved to the Hudso
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One raindrop raises the sea.
Weapons are enemies even to their owners.
Give more, take less.
Others first, self last.
Observe, listen, and learn.
Do one thing at a time.
Sing every day.
Exercise imagination.
Eat to live, don't live to eat.”
“Breathe Deep, Seek Peace.”
—
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