Children's Nonfiction- Dinosaur encyclopedia/ covered different topics. Read in mid 1990s.

[Kelsey]

As a kid in the mid-90s, I picked out this book as a prize for completing the summer reading program. The best way I can describe it is that it was kind of like an encyclopedia, covering various topics all about dinosaurs, including: Greek roots, the history of dinosaurs and how fossils were found, how the stegosaurus became Colorado's state dinosaur, how layers of rock are like clothes in a laundry basket and can get disrupted. Descriptions of specific dinosaurs were scattered throughout the book in sidebars and you had to figure out which of those dinosaurs was the fake one. This book was roughly graphic-novel sized- like a large paperback. There was a huge green dinosaur on the cover.

[Mai]

Searching the keywords Dinosaurs, stegosaurus, Colorado in WorldCat between 1980 and 1997 only one result came up! It does have a green dinosaur in the cover too so fingers crossed! If it's not this one, was the cover similar? Was it a full dinosaur or just the head?
The Dinosaur Almanac by Q.L. Pearce.



Open the pages of The Dinosaur Almanac... and take a trip back in time to learn about the remarkable reptiles that roamed our planet millions of years ago. This quick-and-easy reference guide tells you everything you need to know about the fastest, biggest, fiercest, and most unusual of those mysterious creatures that populated a world so different from our own. The Dinosaur Almanac also features more than a hundred lively illustrations, charts, and comparisons; the most recent dinosaur discoveries; biographical profiles of important paleontologists; and exciting hands-on projects you can do at home. Of course, this handy book is also chockful of fascinating dinosaur facts. Did you know that... Colorado made Stegosaurus its state fossil? Some dinosaur eggs were as large as soccer balls? The biggest dinosaurs ate nearly 500 pounds of food a day? (That would be like eating 4,000 scoops of ice cream!) Whether you're a dinosaur expert or have just discovered these amazing animals, youll find The Dinosaur Almanac entertaining, educational, and an excellent addition to your dinosaur library.

[Kelsey]

The cover doesn't look right for that one. It was a huge light green dinosaur and the whole body was on the cover.

[Cassandra]

If a book is popular enough, it can get published with more than one cover. Did you check to see if the book has any other covers that do look right? In any event, I would recommend not dismissing a book just because the cover doesn't match what you remember.

[Rainbowheart]

The Complete Book of the Dinosaur?

[Simi]

Is it maybe The Dinosaur Data Book

Goodreads only has the updated version but an older edition has a green dinosaur on the cover.

[Kelsey]

Cassandra, I did look into that book further, and it still doesn’t look right. Rainbow and Simi, thank you but these still don’t look right. I’ve done some searching (and adding that this book included the Troodon man doesn’t help much either) and I’m finding that a lot of books of this type had more realistic illustrations. The one I’m thinking had more cartoony illustrations and a few kids were included in the illustrations interacting with the dinosaurs.

[Rainbowheart]

The New Illustrated Dinosaur Dictionary?