Dinosaur Discovery

Gr 4—6—A baker's dozen of prehistoric critters gets full spreads with large realistic illustrations, fact boxes, captions, species data, and an informative paragraph or two. Potentially unfamiliar terms are highlighted in bold type and defined in the glossary. The usual suspects (Allosaurus, T. rex, etc.) are represented, as is a new kid on the block (Sinosauropteryx) and some interesting neighborhood folk (Pteranodon, Ichthyosaurus, etc.). While many dinophiles will simply dine happily on these eye-catching pages, others will focus on the variety of experiments. Using mostly materials that might be on hand or readily available in building supply centers, the activities ask readers to check chicken bones for strength, discover the physics behind armored tails, record the insulating capabilities of feathers, and make fake fossils, among other things. The photos on these pages give the impression that the activities are simple, but a caveat (buried on the second page along with the CIP) states they are designed to be performed with the "help and supervision of a parent or other adult." This maximally unobtrusive location means it will never be noticed by eager experimenters, and will lead to some frustration. No mention is made of proper disposal of items like leftover glue and plaster of Paris, and there are no diagrams for some terms in the glossary (zygapophyses, for example.) Take a second look at Peter Larson and Kristin Donnan's Bones Rock! (Invisible Cities, 2004) but remember, this will be a book that gathers little dust.—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY