Staff Picks

Big Book of Dinosaurs

Everything about The Big Book of Dinosaurs is off the charts--the size of the book itself, the elaborate two-page spreads, the color models, and even the oversized type. Children can experience the amazing powers of these prehistoric beasts--the jagged teeth of the ferocious meat eaters, the slashing claws of the Deinonychus, and the long-necked Barosaurus that could reach five-story-high treetops and may have had eight hearts. Yet, like the dinosaurs themselves, there is nothing threatening or intimidating about this highly informative book. The text is brief and succinct, only conveying facts that children find interesting. (There's even an index for quick searches of favorite dinos.) The lifelike illustrations give young readers a solid sense of what dinosaur fossils and skeletal systems look like as well as clear mental pictures of how these creatures appeared in "real-life" millions of years ago. (Ages 4 to 7) --Gail Hudson

A first book of dinosaurs for young children.

The Big Book of Dinosaurs is an enticing collection of dinosaurs that is sure to excite any child. It is packed with full-color photographs of life-like models plus detailed illustrations. The simple text describes interesting features, while questions encourage children to compare various dinosaurs.

Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs! (Boynton on Board)

Sunbathing dinosaurs and artistic dinosaurs, dancing dinosaurs and volleyball-playing dinosaurs make learning opposites fun! From Boynton on Board, the bestselling series of extra-big, extra-fat, extra-appealing board books, Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs! is a book of opposites featuring the inimitable Sandra Boyntonís colorful, humorous drawings and lively text.

Main selection of the Childrenís Book-of-the-Month Club. Main selection of the Children's Book-of-the-Month Club. Suitable for ages 1-4.

Danny and the Dinosaur

Danny goes to the museum where his wish comes true - a friendly dinosaur comes to life and spends the day playing with him. As the dinosaur says, after one hundred million years, it's good to play outside! The two have a monstrously good time eating ice cream, going to a ball game, and playing hide-and-seek with Danny's friends. When the day comes to an end, the dinosaur must return to the museum, even though Danny wants to keep him as a pet. After all, the museum needs him, and, Danny realizes, the dinosaur probably wouldn't fit in his house! \n

Dinosaur Roar! Board Book

Two nifty novelty books showcase beloved stories in a format that is fresh, fun, and floatable! These puffy, pliable books feature full-color pages encased in clear plastic. Perfect for the teething toddler and sophisticated enough to engage the slightly older child, these shiny padded books offer the best in waterproof reading. The Little Engine That Could and the much-loved Dinosaur Roar! are classics indeed. These all but indestructible books are perfect additions to any family library in the rough-and-tumble years of early childhood.

Make Your Own Dinosaur out of Chicken Bones: Foolproof Instructions for Budding Paleontologists

What a terrific concept! Chris McGowan, a curator at the Royal Ontario Museum, has come up with the ideal hands-on science project. All you need is this book, three young chickens, a few household items, and some time to make your own scale model of an apatosaurus skeleton. And it neatly dovetails with current scientific theories that birds are the living descendents of dinosaurs. McGowan's detailed, practical directions even include recipes for the leftovers. No one who has ever been interested in dinosaurs will be able to resist this book.

Most people would laugh if you told them you were having a dinosaur for dinner. But you can. Because birds evolved from dinosaurs, says renowned paleontologist Chris McGowan, that chicken from Sunday's supper is a direct descendant of those fearsome and perennially popular "terrible lizards."

To show this relationship and give readers a unique, hands-on introduction to the principles of paleontology, McGowan has devised a deliciously clever science project that kids of all ages can really sink their teeth into -- the creation of their very own dinosaur skeleton. Numerous illustrations guide readers step-by-step through the process of taking the bones of three chickens, some wire, glue, toothpicks and a few other household items, and building a model even the Museum of Natural History would admire. As they assemble their Apatosaurus skeleton, budding scientists will learn real-life paleontological practices as well as facts about evolution, anatomy, and, of course, dinosaurs. Featuring three recipes for chicken soups and salads to ensure that the chicken meat is put to good use, Make Your Own Dinosaur out of Chicken Bones is the perfect treat for dinosaur lovers of all ages.

Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo (Reading Rainbow Book)

A small-size version of the story of the Lazardo family's unique vacation in Africa and their discovery of Bob, the friendly dinosaur, is accompanied by a cassette version featuring renditions of "The Ballad of Dinosaur Bob." Read by Mariel Hemingway.

Dinosaur Stomp!

A pop-up sequel to Dinosaur Roar! follows a collection of leaping lizards on their way to a celebration at the swamp, a party that dinosaurs of every color and size look forward to attending. BOMC.

My Dinosaur

Finding her dinosaur hidden among the trees on a moonlit night, a little girl accompanies her enormous friend through the woods on a magical nighttime journey. By the author of The Last Dinosaur and Dinosaur for a Day.

Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp

"Doo-bop-a-loo-bop!" In this rollicking romp through a prehistoric weekend, dinosaurs frolic and caper the night away. After some initial early evening shuffling shyness, these party animals are ready to get down, doing the Triassic Twist and the Brontosaurus Bump, the Raptor Rap and Jurassic Jump. With all this rhythm and rhyme, it's no wonder romance is soon afoot: "Tarchia winked at a stegosaur she liked. They danced together, spike to spike." This outrageous book provides a much more appealing theory behind the disappearance of dinosaurs, and hints at the possibility of another Dinosaur Stomp someday in the future. Scott Nash's wonderfully friendly bopping beasts radiate a contagious exuberance with their smiling, simple faces and bright colors and patterns. Carol Diggory Shields couldn't have found a better match for her rocking, rolling, twirling, tromping, "scientifically accurate (more or less)" dinosaurs. A guaranteed favorite that will have young children gleefully chanting "Boomalacka boomalacka! Whack! Whack! WHACK!" (Click to see a sample spread. Text ©1997 by Carol Diggery Shields. Illustrations ©1997 by Scott Nash. Permission by Candlewick Press.) (Ages 4 and older) --Emilie Coulter

What happens when the Jurassic gang wants to let off steam? They dance, of course! They rock and roll and twirl and tromp at the Dinosaur Stomp! With illustrations by Scott Nash that leap off the page like a raptor doing the fandango, Carol Diggory Shields tells dinosaur devotees all about reptilian revelry. Full color.

Time Flies (Caldecott Honor Book)

Eric Rohmann's Caldecott Honor-winning debut is now available as a Dragonfly paperback. It is at once a wordless time-travel adventure and a meditation on the scientific theory that dinosaurs were the evolutionary ancestors of birds.  

Time Flies , a wordless picture book, is inspired by the theory that birds are the modern relatives of dinosaurs.  This story conveys the tale of a bird trapped in a dinosaur exhibit at a natural history museum.  Through Eric's use of color, readers can actually see the bird enter into a mouth of a dinosaur, and then escape unscathed.

The New York Times Book Review called Time Flies "a work of informed imagination and masterly storytelling unobtrusively underpinned by good science...an entirely absorbing narrative made all the more rich by its wordlessness." Kirkus Reviews hailed it as "a splendid debut."