Everything Awesome About Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Beasts!

Starred review from July 1, 2019
A cartoon history of dinosaurs and contemporary creatures, largely hand lettered and (mostly, anyway) colored inside the lines. Moot the titular hyperbole may be, but it does capture the tone as Lowery sandwiches a populous parade of very simply drawn dinos between a history of prehistory and a roundup of diverse topics, from what paleontologists do to sets of dinosaur jokes and "A Few Kinda Weird (and Unlikely!) Dino Extinction Theories." Jokes and gags ("Why did the Archaeopteryx get the worm?" "Because it was an early bird!") are scattered throughout along with side remarks ("Not another mass extinction!"), as are identifying labels with phonetic pronunciations (Gorgonopsia: "GOR-ga-NOP-see-a") and cogent if dude!-ish observations: "These small weirdos...had one long claw-thing for catching stuff to eat"; "More time passed between Stegosaurus and T. Rex than the time between Velociraptor and microwavable pizza!" Better yet, though true dinosaurs hold the spotlight, flying and marine reptiles, early mammals, and other fabulous early fauna take such frequent star turns that along with infobites galore, readers will come away with a fairly sound understanding of just how dinosaurs fit into the whole history of life on this planet. Human figures of diverse hue occasionally step into view to offer comments or wisecracks. A manic but solid series kickoff. (bibliography, drawing lessons) (Nonfiction. 7-10)

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October 1, 2019

Gr 2-5-Playful, humorous, and enthusiastic, the text and illustrations introduce prehistoric eras and creatures with an emphasis on dinosaurs. The conversational text goes above and beyond to engage the reader and goes hand in hand with the simple, bright, cartoonish illustrations. Lowery even hand-drew most of the lettering, with only the fast facts in typeset. This introduction to eras includes time lines, geology, plant and animal life, and insights into evolutionary thought. Lowery uses humor to make facts memorable. Despite the fun elements, there is a lack of documentation (footnotes or source notes) for internal quotes. While the book does have a bibliography of primary sources, it is notably brief. Appended is a how-to-draw dinosaur section that children will be tempted to draw in, and a pictoral dinosaur guide by period. VERDICT Not recommended, due to the lack of thorough documentation.-Nancy Call, formerly at Santa Cruz Public Libraries, Aptos, CA

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 2019
Grades 1-3 The cover of this book boasts that it contains a gazillion true facts, and while that might be a slight exaggeration, a wide array of entertaining prehistoric information is indeed crammed inside. Lowery covers a vast swath of Earth's biological history, from the earliest and simplest forms of life to the incredible variety of creatures that developed from those humble beginnings. He does a fantastic job of balancing out the plethora of facts with a wonderful sense of humor; to that end, the last few pages even present a section of dino jokes that are sure to be repeated long after the book has been put away. The bright, cartoonish illustrations and often hand-lettered text are perfectly suited to the writing's irreverent tone, which makes absorbing the facts a breeze. And while the sheer density of information may make this book difficult to devour in a single sitting, it is the perfect choice for young dinosaur enthusiasts to dip in and out of, as they are sure to return to it again and again.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)