Deltadromeus and Other Shoreline Dinosaurs

February 1, 2005
K-Gr 3 -In each book, two-page chapters give very basic information about eight dinosaurs that shared a type of environment. Three or four short sentences provide a few interesting facts. Each title includes at least one item related to the common habitat, such as noting that "Paralititan"'s "huge flat feet were perfectly shaped for mud walking." A full-page illustration shows each dinosaur in action, while a smaller photo beneath the text depicts a modern animal that shares a common feature. The "Ankylosaurus" entry, for instance, shows a rhinoceros that also has armorlike skin. Small silhouettes indicate the size of each dinosaur compared to a chicken, human, or elephant, although "Corythosaurus" is incorrectly undersized. Occasionally, theories, such as the notion that "Amargasaurus" used their neck spines for signaling, are presented as actual fact. The habitats represented are fairly broad: "shoreline" species include those that lived near rivers, oceans, swamps, and deltas. There's no exploration of the commonalities among dinosaurs that lived in similar environments, and many of the species lived in vastly different time periods, but that's appropriate in a series for beginners. Generally, the habitat theme serves well in a presentation of basic facts about several species in ways that young readers can easily grasp." -Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR"

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