Review Detail
Middle Grade Non-Fiction
551
What? We CAN'T bring dinos back to life?
Overall rating
4.3
Writing Style
4.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
4.0
Learning Value
5.0
In this large format nonfiction book for middle grade readers, zoologist Crumpton debunks a lot of misinformation that is widely held about dinosaurs. Why are there so many outdated ideas about dinosaurs? Theories change over time as new discoveries and information comes to light, but since grown-ups are old, they often repeat a lot of "old" facts. Thanks, Dr. Crumpton!
There are lots of different areas where thoughts have changed. There is information about when dinosaurs lived, which was not all at the same time. There is a spread about "dinosaurs" that still exist, some debunking of the thought that all dinosaurs were mean, and even a primer on how to pronounce the long and unwieldy names! If your only books on dinosaurs are Roy Chapman Andrews, in his 1959 In the Days of the Dinosaurs, or the 1960 How and Why Wonder Book of Dinosaurs that most of my friends used to have, and you're not sure about whether or not we can use the term "Brontosaurus" (it came back in 2015), you definitely want to pick this up.
There are lots of different areas where thoughts have changed. There is information about when dinosaurs lived, which was not all at the same time. There is a spread about "dinosaurs" that still exist, some debunking of the thought that all dinosaurs were mean, and even a primer on how to pronounce the long and unwieldy names! If your only books on dinosaurs are Roy Chapman Andrews, in his 1959 In the Days of the Dinosaurs, or the 1960 How and Why Wonder Book of Dinosaurs that most of my friends used to have, and you're not sure about whether or not we can use the term "Brontosaurus" (it came back in 2015), you definitely want to pick this up.
Good Points
The illustrations are great, and there are even some older style illustrations to back up the fact that "We've always known what dinosaurs looked like". There are a lot of charts, graphs, timelines, and side bars of facts that make this an excellent nonfiction choice for learning to navigate the genre. of course, dinosaur enthusiasts are usually well versed in how to read books about their favorite topic.
I especially appreciated the gallery of pictures of female paleontologists, but I would have liked it even more if the women's dates had been included. There is a nice glossary and index as well.
Some of the newer books about dinosaurs include Sandra Laboucarie The Ultimate Book of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Creatures, National Geographic Kids' The Dinosaur Atlas, and Drimmer and Brusatte's How to Survive in the Age of Dinosaurs. Young fans will want to read those books first, and then use Crumpton's book to fact check and make sure they are accurate!
I especially appreciated the gallery of pictures of female paleontologists, but I would have liked it even more if the women's dates had been included. There is a nice glossary and index as well.
Some of the newer books about dinosaurs include Sandra Laboucarie The Ultimate Book of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Creatures, National Geographic Kids' The Dinosaur Atlas, and Drimmer and Brusatte's How to Survive in the Age of Dinosaurs. Young fans will want to read those books first, and then use Crumpton's book to fact check and make sure they are accurate!
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