Alphasaurus

PreS—Each of these concept books has colorful spreads of nonthreatening creatures in a prehistoric environment. Alphasaurus features 26 alliterative sentences that introduce dinos from A to Z. For example, "I is for Iguanodon,/impolitely ignoring an inchworm." Colorasaurus depicts the world of the dinosaurs with an emphasis on their environment, such as red lava, an orange sun, black tar, and the yellow sand of the dunes. Countasaurus leads youngsters as they count from 1 to 10 with the help of several dinosaur models. In Shapeasaurus, three very brightly colored Tyrannosauruses hatch from oval eggs. Over the next pages, these youngsters explore their world, from the circular sun to the dangerous crescent claws of a hunting Velociraptor. Endearing as the illustrations are, readers won't forget how dangerous these lizards were when the next page reveals the Tyrannosauruses' triangular teeth gnawing on bones. The book comes full circle as the three are fully grown waiting for their eggs to hatch. Dino fans will be delighted with this series.—Laura Butler, Mount Laurel Library, NJ