Dinosaurs Life Size

Gr 5—7—With images of bits and pieces of larger species to an entire 15.75-inch Pterodactylus, this album of assorted dinosaurs and other prehistoric critters will appeal to dinophiles. Readers have to keep their eyes peeled for the "Life Size" tags, as many of the featured creatures appear in smaller-scaled illustrations. Photos of some cute kids in cute poses are added for size comparisons, though many will find the juxtaposition annoying. (Just how old/big are these kids anyway?) The realistic, dramatic images are accompanied by paragraphs of data, some sorted into "How Big?" and "Where in the World?" boxes. Others give more details on body shape, skeletal makeup, and such. Arranged chronologically, the whole package is garnished with several fold-out pages, including a nice time line of the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous worlds. A very brief glossary is appended. Despite an eye-catching cover, this is no replacement for, but an addition to, David Bergen's more dramatic Life-Size Dinosaurs (Sterling, 2004) or Steve Jenkins's simpler, handsome Prehistoric Actual Size (Houghton, 2005).—Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY