Dinosaurs

December 1, 2001
\deflang1033\pard\plain\f3\fs24 Reviewed with Samantha Gray's \plain\f3\fs24" Ocean\plain\f3\fs24 .

Gr. 3-5. The publisher's traditional format morphs into something a little bit different here. These books in the new Eye Wonder series are smaller, but the images remain pretty much the same. What's more, the publisher's recommended age level (ages five through eight) holds true only if an adult is reading the text aloud. \plain\f3\fs24" Dinosaur\plain\f3\fs24 uses model figures to introduce the creatures, with snippets of information surrounding the images. Among the topics covered are movement, hunting, nest and nurseries, and theories about the death of dinosaurs. \plain\f3\fs24" Ocean \plain\f3\fs24 uses a scattershot approach and covers a wide-range of subjects: sea creatures, coral reefs, and underwater exploration. The pictures in \plain\f3\fs24" Ocean\plain\f3\fs24 are clearer than those in \plain\f3\fs24" Dinosaur\plain\f3\fs24, but both books provide facts that will spark kids' interest. Still, libraries already having a full complement of books in the publisher's signature style may not feel the need to add these. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2001, American Library Association.)