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Creature Features: Dinosaurs
Each page in this book is bursting with unusual creatures from the time of dinosaurs, all united by a common characteristic. From wonderful wings to terrific teeth, from tyrannosaurs to ancient turtles, this eclectic collection celebrates the diversity and similarities of the dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures. Guaranteed to fascinate budding paleontologists.
- GenresDinosaurs
24 pages, Board Book
Published October 6, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
December 9, 2021
Not just about dinosaurs, it features other prehistoric creatures such as pterosaurs, marine reptiles, and small mammals.
Scientists group animals by family, but this book groups them by "creature features" such as head crests or armor, so it's kind of fun to see a variety of types of animals that all share the same key feature. For example, with "Terrifying Teeth" we see, of course, T-Rex and the usual dino round-up, but we also see helicoproin (extinct genus of shark-like eugeneodont fish--google it, it's wild), gnathosaurus (a pterosaur) and cronopio (extinct genus of dryolestoid mammals; it looks like a saber-toothed shrew with a ringtail lemur tail). I especially enjoyed the "Fabulous Fur" spread as prehistoric mammals don't get much notice in children's picture books and it was fun to see the variety here. The sections of the book include "Humongous Horns", "Terrifying Teeth", "Wonderful Wings", "Hefty Head Crests", "Beautiful Beaks", "Amazing Armor", "Fantastic Flippers", "Noble Necks", "Super Sails & Spines", "Creepy Claws", and "Fabulous Fur"
There's not much text. For example, in "Super Sails & Spines" the only information is this: "Long spines, tall plates, and towering sails made animals look bigger than they really were. They also might have helped regulate body temperature. The largest sail of all belonged to spinosaurus -- it was a whopping 7 feet/2 meters tall." The page has 16 creatures on it, all labeled, so you can look them up online or wherever if you want to... the book doesn't really contain information on specific creatures, it's more a visual feast.
And I do really enjoy the illustrations. The color choices are vibrant and creative and I kind of like that. It's visually appealing and many scientists now think that the dull browns and greens and grays that we have previously associated with dinosaurs might not be all that accurate, or, at least, not in every case. Most of the creatures are fairly friendly-looking (or at least not unnecessarily scary) and somehow there's a playful feel to the book without it seeming "kiddie" and there is enough accuracy in the depiction of the animals that one gets a real sense for what they may have looked like, though these are hardly scientific illustrations.
This is a picture book meets board book in that it's got thicker pages but isn't really the chunky-for-babies style board book. I could imagine some tots would enjoy the pictures if they like dinosaurs and aren't bothered by busy spreads, but the content is more suited to pre-K or K groups, though even I, as an adult, learned something and my children (ages 6 and 8) loved it.
Scientists group animals by family, but this book groups them by "creature features" such as head crests or armor, so it's kind of fun to see a variety of types of animals that all share the same key feature. For example, with "Terrifying Teeth" we see, of course, T-Rex and the usual dino round-up, but we also see helicoproin (extinct genus of shark-like eugeneodont fish--google it, it's wild), gnathosaurus (a pterosaur) and cronopio (extinct genus of dryolestoid mammals; it looks like a saber-toothed shrew with a ringtail lemur tail). I especially enjoyed the "Fabulous Fur" spread as prehistoric mammals don't get much notice in children's picture books and it was fun to see the variety here. The sections of the book include "Humongous Horns", "Terrifying Teeth", "Wonderful Wings", "Hefty Head Crests", "Beautiful Beaks", "Amazing Armor", "Fantastic Flippers", "Noble Necks", "Super Sails & Spines", "Creepy Claws", and "Fabulous Fur"
There's not much text. For example, in "Super Sails & Spines" the only information is this: "Long spines, tall plates, and towering sails made animals look bigger than they really were. They also might have helped regulate body temperature. The largest sail of all belonged to spinosaurus -- it was a whopping 7 feet/2 meters tall." The page has 16 creatures on it, all labeled, so you can look them up online or wherever if you want to... the book doesn't really contain information on specific creatures, it's more a visual feast.
And I do really enjoy the illustrations. The color choices are vibrant and creative and I kind of like that. It's visually appealing and many scientists now think that the dull browns and greens and grays that we have previously associated with dinosaurs might not be all that accurate, or, at least, not in every case. Most of the creatures are fairly friendly-looking (or at least not unnecessarily scary) and somehow there's a playful feel to the book without it seeming "kiddie" and there is enough accuracy in the depiction of the animals that one gets a real sense for what they may have looked like, though these are hardly scientific illustrations.
This is a picture book meets board book in that it's got thicker pages but isn't really the chunky-for-babies style board book. I could imagine some tots would enjoy the pictures if they like dinosaurs and aren't bothered by busy spreads, but the content is more suited to pre-K or K groups, though even I, as an adult, learned something and my children (ages 6 and 8) loved it.
May 12, 2021
I really like that this book is sturdy and essentially a large board book that is picture book size. There are a lot of creatures on each page, featuring not only dinosaurs but marine reptiles and furry prehistoric animals. There are 15-20 creatures per page, but the text with the creature's name is small. However, I can see dinosaur enthusiasts excited to showcase their knowledge about the various creatures. The sections of the book include "Humongous Horns", "Terrifying Teeth", "Wonderful Wings", "Hefty Head Crests", "Beautiful Beaks", "Amazing Armor", "Fantastic Flippers", "Noble Necks", "Super Sails & Spines", "Creepy Claws", and "Fabulous Fur".
October 31, 2022
Super vibrant and fun. A bit advanced for my toddler to fully appreciate. I have been working on introducing different dinosaur types to him though and this book was helpful for that.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews