A Review of Prehistoric Times Magazine (Issue 105)

The weather has at last improved, we can say goodbye to the chilly easterly breeze and say a warm welcome to the spring edition of Prehistoric Times magazine.  Yes, spring has finally come and it is marked by the arrival of the spring edition of Prehistoric Times, a magazine that provides news and views on anything and everything to do with prehistoric animals.

The Front Cover of Prehistoric Times (Issue 105)

T. rex faces off against a Triceratops.

Picture Credit: Prehistoric Times

Issue 105 is the 20th anniversary of the first edition of this quarterly publication.  Coincidently, 2013 is also the 20th anniversary of the premier of the dinosaur film “Jurassic Park” and there are special features on both inside this issue.  Editor Mike Fredericks provides a potted history of the publication, a fascinating insight into what has become an institution for “dino-philes”.  Dotted throughout the article are contributions from other regular writers and it was interesting to read how they met Mike and started to work with him on various projects.  The feature entitled “Sketch me a Spitter”, pays homage to Jurassic Park the movie, and renowned artist Mark Hallett recalls his work on the film working as a concept artist and palaeo consultant.  There are some wonderful illustrations of the Theropod dinosaurs that appeared in the first of the Jurassic Park trilogy.  If you have always wanted to know how the venomous dinosaur that killed the character known as Dennis Nedry, came about then read this article and all will be revealed.

The first of the prehistoric animals featured in this issue is Triceratops and the magazine includes lots and lots of artwork sent in by readers. Phil Hore provides a very informative article on this famous horned dinosaur and even Tracy Lee Ford gets in on the act with a superb piece in his long running series “How to Draw Dinosaurs”.  The morphology of the skull and horns changed as Ceratopsians got older.  He kindly summarises the main points to remember when it comes to illustrating juveniles, mature adults and very old specimens of Triceratops.  There is also a rare picture of a Triceratops skull in situ, discovered by the famous palaeontologist George Sternberg in 1908.

Amongst the usual items such as correspondence from readers, collectors corner, book reviews and updates on new model introductions, Ron Lemery provides information on a technique known as photoetching, a great way to build detail into dinosaur themed model scenes.  Talking of models, Steven B. DeMarco showcases how to make and paint a fearsome Mosasaur, a marine reptile he aptly refers to as “Mosa Jaws”!

The second prehistoric animal to feature prominently in this edition of “PT” is the fearsome, highly resourceful Dire Wolf (Canis dirus).  Phil Hore writes a very entertaining piece explaining the differences between the Dire Wolf and the Grey Wolf and discusses their fossil record including the exquisitely detailed specimens that have been retrieved from the La Brea Tar pits in Los Angeles (California, USA).

To learn more about this excellent publication: Visit Prehistoric Times Website

For slightly older dinosaur fans there is a very insightful article written by Allen A. Debus on the beautiful post card illustrations of Neave Parker, a real trip down memory lane when looking at the wonderful black and white illustrations of the various prehistoric animals.

Jam packed full of dinosaur themed goodies, issue 105 of Prehistoric Times is definitely a ” must read” and on this form we can expect this publication to keep on going for at least another twenty years.

Well done to all involved.

Deposits Magazine (Issue 33) Reviewed

The spring edition of the magazine for geologists, mineralists and fossil fans has duly arrived and this UK produced magazine certainly packs a punch with issue 33.  The front cover shows an artist’s interpretation of the palaeoenvironment of Russia during the Late Permian.  This is an example of the artwork of Lyme Regis based illustrator Richard Bizley and inside there is a highly informative article all about Richard’s work re-creating prehistoric and alien landscapes.  Richard likes to focus on some of the unsung heroes from the fossil record.  His landscapes feature a whole range of prehistoric animals and plants, the fauna and flora depicted all painstakingly researched to ensure accuracy.  The artwork is truly stunning and the detail simply exquisite.

The Front Cover of Deposits Magazine (Spring 2013)

A huge array of topics covered inside.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Visitors to Holland can perhaps be inspired about an article about hunting for Ice Age fossils on the Dutch beach of Hoek van Holland. It seems that land reclamation and construction work to prepare sea defences leads to a lot of material being dredged up from the bottom of the North Sea – amongst the sand there are many fossils of prehistoric mammals that get deposited on the beaches of this low-lying country.  Fossil hunters can find teeth of Woolly Mammoths, bones from Woolly Rhinos (Coelodonta) and even Mesolithic spear tips and fishing harpoons.  Further afield, there are very well illustrated articles on fossil hunting for Mesozoic aged fossils including beautiful Ginkgo fossils in southern Sweden and a fascinating article on Jamaican fossil crabs.  Decapod crustaceans (crabs) have got their own army of dedicated fossil collectors who specialise in collecting specimens of these Arthropods.  The article outlines the types of fossil crabs that can be found on the Caribbean island of Jamaica.  The handy glossary of terms presented at the end of the article helps the uninitiated to gain an insight into just how fascinating collecting fossils of crabs can be.

Arachnids, the likes of spiders, mites, scorpions and their near relatives have a large article dedicated solely to them in this issue of Deposits magazine.  This feature jointly written by Dr. David Penney (University of Manchester) and Dr. Jason Dunlop, the curator of Myriapods and Arachnids at the Berlin Natural History Museum is extremely comprehensive and packed with beautiful photographs and computer enhanced images.  As artist Richard Bizley loves to incorporate Arachnids into his artwork it makes perfect sense to include a detailed review of the Arachnid fossil record in the same issue as a feature on the artistic reconstruction of palaeoenvironments –  a unique fusion of science and art.

The magazine provides book reviews, including a couple on the volumes published to help walkers explore the Jurassic coast of southern England, lots of news stories and there is even a feature on fossil amber found in Scotland.  For those prepared to get out and about this spring there are articles on hunting for Middle Eocene sea urchins and a detailed review of the fossils to be found on a visit to Herne Bay in Kent.

For readers who live in Colorado (United States of America), there is an update on some of the rare, recent fossil discoveries from the famous Morrison Formation of western North America.    A rare fossil of a Gastropod (snail) has been discovered, it has been turned to agate over millions of years (shell replaced by the mineral agate).  Dinosaur fossils may make the headlines but this snail fossil provides scientists with valuable evidence to help reconstruct life in freshwater habitats during the Late Jurassic.

All in all, this is an excellent magazine that covers a whole range of subject areas of interest to palaeontologists, geologists, mineralists and fossil fans.  The articles are written in a way that allows the layperson to follow what is being said with scientific terms reduced to a minimum.  Issue 33 of Deposits magazine is well worth reading.

A Review of the Mini Triceratops Dinosaur Book

An ideal book for very young dinosaur fans, the Mini Dinosaurs Triceratops pop up book has been cleverly designed and written in such a way as to help children from three years and upwards with their reading.  It even features a big, blue Triceratops, this inclusion alone, will make this publication a firm favourite amongst budding palaeontologists.

This book is part of a series, with each one of these hardback books featuring a different dinosaur.  There is a Tyrannosaurus rex, a Stegosaurus and even one about the long-necked, giant Sauropod now known as Apatosaurus.  It is to the publisher’s credit that they have chosen to explain why the dinosaur formerly known as Brontosaurus is now referred to as Apatosaurus, this demonstrates the writer’s commitment to ensuring that even these children’s books contain some factual content.

The Mini Dinosaurs Triceratops book, is very colourful and each page shows a picture of at least one, blue Triceratops with questions about this horned dinosaur.  The questions are just the sort of question that a curious three or four year old might ask, an example being “what did Triceratops eat?”   On the page where this question is featured, the reader can then lift the flap which represents the mouth of this Late Cretaceous dinosaur and the answer is revealed.

The Mini Dinosaurs Triceratops Book

A friendly, blue Triceratops

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

The words are written in a large, easy to follow black font.  This font will help young children to recognise letters and words and to assist them with their reading.  For the parent or grandparent that reads the book along with the child, the inside of each page flap that is lifted to reveal the answer to a question posed contains more information to help explain the answer given.  So for instance, when the question about the diet of this particular dinosaur is asked the adult can read the additional information about Triceratops on the inside of the page flap and this can be used to help explain the answer to the young child.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s range of books about dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals: Dinosaur Books

Although the book is small, it has been designed so that little hands can grasp it and turn the pages.  The front and back covers have also been laminated, an excellent idea as this enables the book to be kept free from any sticky finger marks with just a wipe from a damp cloth.  At the back of this little publication there is a large, paper Triceratops that can be created, simply unfold the Triceratops by pulling the body portion of the page towards you and folding down the legs.

A Blue Triceratops for Young Readers

The fold out Triceratops model featured in the book.

Have fun learning about dinosaurs.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

This is a very clever little dinosaur book about Triceratops, one of the most popular of all the dinosaurs, especially with very young children.  It is set out in such a way as to help young children with their reading development and the fun questions and answers do have a basis in the knowledge scientists have about this horned dinosaur.

A Review of the Mini Dinosaurs Stegosaurus Dinosaur Book

It is often quite a task to find a suitable dinosaur book for kids, when looking for something to help them with their reading.  Many parents try to encourage young children to develop a love of books by encouraging them to read books about subjects that they have a natural affinity for.  Many children under three years of age develop an interest in and a fascination for dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, so finding a book about dinosaurs aimed especially at their age group can be a real boon for parents.  The Mini Dinosaurs Stegosaurus book is a delightful little hardback that ticks all the boxes as far as parents and very young dinosaur fans are concerned.  After all, a book that features a purple Stegosaurus is bound to be well received by very young palaeontologists.

The Mini Dinosaurs Stegosaurus Book

A book featuring a purple Stegosaurus

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

This book is part of a set of dinosaur inspired books all aimed at children from approximately three years of age and upwards.   As the pages are turned a question about the dinosaur Stegosaurus is presented.  The text is printed in a very clear, large, black font so very young children can easily make out the words and work out what the sentence is.  Parents and grandparents can read through the book with their young charges, turning the pages to discover what questions are being posed about this particular armoured dinosaur from the Late Jurassic.  The answers can be found by lifting a flap, part of the animal’s body such as the plate covered back, the legs or the famous tail with its set of spikes on its end.    The adult can read through the book with the child, lifting the flap to reveal the answer to the question posed on that page about Stegosaurus.  For instance, one of the questions presented is why did Stegosaurus have big feet?  By lifting up the front leg of the picture of the Stegosaurus on that page, the answer is revealed.  There is even a little more information to be found on the inside face of each answer flap, this helps the grown-up to explain the answer to the child and provides some facts about Stegosaurus to support the information given.

The bright purple, friendly Stegosaurus certainly appeals to very young children, and the tough hardback cover means that the book can be wiped clean should any sticky hands touch it.  The spine of the book is quite thick and this makes it easy to grip, especially helpful when young children try to use the book on their own.  Best of all, in the final section of this book there is a large, purple Stegosaurus cut-out for the children to unfold.  By pulling the middle portion of the Stegosaurus drawing towards them and unfurling the tail a large stand-up drawing of a Stegosaurus is revealed.

Lift and Fold to Reveal the Cut-Out Stegosaurus

The fold out Stegosaurus model featured in the book.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

The book has been carefully thought about by the design team and the publishers and it makes an ideal “my first dinosaur book” for a budding dinosaur enthusiast.  The simple layout and easy to read text will encourage children with their reading and word recognition and the fun questions and answers are based on what scientists think they know about this long extinct member of the Dinosauria.  Recommended for children from three years plus, a very suitable dinosaur book for kids.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s range of dinosaur books: Dinosaur Books for Kids

Prehistoric Times Issue 104 Reviewed

The winter edition of Prehistoric Times is certainly a treat for prehistoric animal model collectors and general enthusiasts for all things prehistoric. On the front cover there is a fantastic illustration of Leviathan melvillei, a huge, prehistoric whale which was an apex predator of Miocene seas, preying on other smaller cetaceans.  This was the “whale that ate other whales”  and the artwork that adorns the front cover shows this sea monster attacking a baleen whale.  As the genus name Leviathan has already been assigned to another type of animal (Mastodon), the name Leviathan melvillei has been changed to Livyatan melvillei, the original hebrew spelling of the word.

Issue 104 of Prehistoric Times (Winter 2013)

Meet a "Leviathan"!

Picture Credit: Mike Fredericks/Everything Dinosaur

Inside the magazine there is a very detailed article by Phil Hore on prehistoric whales, their evolution from land living mammals and their radiation into the many types of large, extant cetacean seen today.  The second prehistoric animal to be featured in this publication is Troodon, the Dromaeosaur dinosaur which is regarded by many palaeontologists as being one of the most intelligent of all the known members of the Dinosauria.  Readers are asked to send in their artwork and other illustrations of the prehistoric creatures featured in the magazine.  The editor remarks in his editorial column that much to his surprise a lot more artwork featuring prehistoric whales was sent in than for the Troodontids.  This might be because this is the first time in all one hundred plus editions of the magazine that prehistoric whales have been featured.  The pictures sent in, both of the Troodontids and the prehistoric whales are really good and some noteworthy illustrations include those by Simon Zoppe (Dorudon) and Wade Carmen (Janjucetus), plus a superb Troodon, full colour print by Raul Martin.

To subscribe to Prehistoric Times Magazine: Prehistoric Times Magazine

Tracy Lee Ford contributes with the second part of his excellent piece on how to draw dinosaurs with a focus on pathology found in Ceratopsian dinosaurs.  In this article, the author discusses the work of Happ et al (published 2008) who describe a Triceratops skull that is  missing about thirty percent of its left brow horn.  There are deep gouges on the skull in the area surrounding the horn and on the remaining horn core material.  It has been suggested that the horn was bitten off by an attacking Tyrannosaurus rex.  To find out more about what such injuries can reveal about the behaviour of dinosaurs, the rest of Tracy’s excellent article is well worth reading.

Allen A. Debus provides a fascinating article on the early illustrations of Megalosaurus, the very first genus of dinosaur to be scientifically named and described.  This feature evidently took a lot of researching as some of the illustrations shown date from more than 120 years ago.  There is also a section on what new prehistoric animal models are due to be launched this  year plus a review of the big news stories in palaeontology over the last few months or so.

Model maker Steve DeMarco lets us into a few secrets about how to create paint effects like a professional when painting dinosaur models and there is a review of a European dinosaur theme park, plus book reviews and an in depth interview with the highly talented artist Terry McKee.

All in all a highly informative and educational publication which caters for the discerning prehistoric animal model collector.

Lift the Book Flap and Find an Apatosaurus 

Finding a book that is tactile, just the right size for small hands to hold and helps young children with their reading can be a challenge, but the Mini Dinosaurs – Apatosaurus book fits the bill nicely.  In addition, there is a surprising amount of factual information about the dinosaur known as Apatosaurus within this little hardback book.

Assisting children with their reading skills is an important task.  It can help young children prepare for more formal schooling when they enter the education system and even very young children can soon learn to recognise the letters of the alphabet and the sounds that these letters form, all part of helping to teach reading using phonetics and other cognitive processes.  Starting them off early can help a child to develop a lifelong appreciation of books and the enjoyment of reading.

The Mini Dinosaurs Apatosaurus Dinosaur Book

Mini Dinosaurs Apatosaurus explains about the Dinosaur name change.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Choosing appropriate reading matter is important.  A book about a dinosaur, one that is designed with young readers in mind, is especially helpful, many children at around three years of age are beginning to show an interest in dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures.  Reading about dinosaurs will help to engage the child and will help them to develop through their own imaginative, creative play.

The Mini Dinosaurs Apatosaurus book is a tough, hardback so it is ideal for use with young children from three years of age.  Both the front and back covers are laminated and can be wiped clean with a damp cloth, very helpful of the book designers to do this as this avoids damage to the book by sticky fingers.  On the front of the book is a bright green Apatosaurus and the book cover explains that this dinosaur was formerly called Brontosaurus.

Why a change in a dinosaur’s name?  The explanation is simple, a dinosaur was named from some fossil bones found in the state of Colorado in the late 1870s.  This dinosaur was called Apatosaurus (the name means “deceptive lizard”).  Brontosaurus was named from fossils found in the same part of the United States a couple of years later.  However, a subsequent re-examination of the fossils led scientists to conclude that their discoveries did not represent two different genera, but just one.  Since Apatosaurus was named first, under the laws laid down for the scientific naming of organisms the Apatosaurus name took precedence.  The book therefore tells a story about Apatosaurus, the dinosaur that was formerly known as Brontosaurus.

The book contains simple sentences laid out in a large, easy to follow font.  All the text is in black and bold to help young children follow the letters more easily.  This miniature dinosaur books poses questions for the child and the adult reader to explore, for instance, Why did Apatosaurus have a long neck?  Why did Apatosaurus have such thick legs?  If you lift up the clever flap on the picture of this dinosaur coinciding with the question page, the answer is revealed.  The answers are given in bold, easy to read text so that the child may read the answers.  For the grown-up, on the flap itself there is some helpful extra dinosaur information provided so that the adult can more fully explain the answer given.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s range of dinosaur and prehistoric animal books: Dinosaur Books

By unfolding the card inserts to be found at the back of this little book, a picture of large, green, friendly-looking Apatosaurus can be created.  This is a cleverly designed little book about dinosaurs that will help young children with their reading skills as well as delighting them with the dinosaur information that it contains.  An excellent first dinosaur book for a very young, budding palaeontologist.

A Review of Deposits Magazine (Issue 32)

Deposits magazine is a quarterly publication dedicated to fossil collecting and geology.  Published in the UK, this colourful magazine covers a wide variety of topics in each edition, and issue thirty-two which arrived at our offices yesterday is no exception.

This issue is dedicated to the memory of Dr. David Mayhew who sadly passed away in October, after a short illness.  The first article in this edition, provides information on the discovery of a Mid Jurassic trace fossil showing crocodilian footprints and a possible Chelonia (member of the tortoise family) track as well.  The fossil was found in Scalby Bay, north of the seaside resort of Scarborough on the North Yorkshire coast.  This part of the English coastline is famous for its Jurassic fossils.

Moving to slightly warmer climes, although we acknowledge that Yorkshire was a tropical fluvial delta 160 million years ago, there is an article continuing a series of presentations mapping the geology of Jamaica, there is also the second part of a feature explaining the geology of the Giants’ Causeway in Northern Ireland.

The Front Cover of Deposits (Issue 32)

A magazine for rock fans.

Image Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Pictures taken of reader’s fossil finds over the summer months are also included, with a number of successful fossil hunting trips from locations around the British Isles and overseas  being highlighted.  This dovetails nicely with a feature written by one contributor which discusses the invertebrate fossils to be found in the Lower Muschelkalk Formation of the Netherlands.  Brachiopods, Bivalves, Gastropods and Arthropods are all represented by the fossil specimens.  It is hard to believe that around 240 million years ago (Early Triassic), that Germany, the Netherlands, Poland, Denmark and north-eastern France was covered by warm, shallow tropical sea that teamed with ancient life.  Some of these prehistoric creatures have left a fossil record to be explored.

Under the title “The Strangest of the Graptolites” there is a highly informative description of  retiolite graptolites with amazing, high magnification electronic microscope images of the structure of these bizarre colonial creatures that lived in marine environments during the Palaeozoic Era.

Packed with news stories concerning fossil finds, the latest research and events this magazine provides an excellent read for anyone with a passing interest in geology, rocks and the fossils that can be found in some of them.  There is even an article highlighting the controversial research into understanding whether or not significant amounts of DNA could survive the fossilisation process.  Any magazine that includes a piece entitled “Could you Receive a Blood Transfusion from a Neanderthal”, gets a big thumbs up from us.

A Review of Prehistoric Times (Fall 2012)

The autumn 2012 edition of Prehistoric Times, the magazine for dinosaur fans and model collectors has arrived and as always there is a scramble amongst as to who gets to read it first.  Inside this quarterly magazine there is an exclusive interview with the grandson of the famous Czechoslovakian artist Znedek Burian, a brilliant illustrator of prehistoric animals and a man whose paintings have graced countless books about dinosaurs.

For fans of Placoderms there is a feature on how a giant Dunkleosteus model was made for use in American museums and Tracy Lee Ford presents a highly informative piece on the pathology found within dinosaur fossil specimens.  The two main prehistoric animals featured in this edition are the Diplodocid Amargasaurus, as we tend to call this animal “the dinosaur that thought it was a dragon” – see the pictures and drawings to get what we mean and the voracious Repenomamus – a mammal that fed on dinosaurs.

The Latest Edition of Prehistoric Times

Prehistoric Times (Autumn 2012) reviewed.

Picture Credit: Prehistoric Times

Gregory S Paul’s and his amazing book “The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs” is updated with the author himself providing information on the books content, its layout and introducing some new ideas and illustrations.  ”The Princeton Field Guide to Dinosaurs”, is to be found on our office shelves it is regularly read by our team members and it is super book which we highly recommend.  Note to other Everything Dinosaur team members we must include this volume in our blog series about favourite dinosaur books.

Lots of updates about fossil finds in the Palaeo. news section including information on the new feathered dinosaur discovery Sciurumimus, look out for the Tyrannosaurus rex skull drawing done by Mike Fredericks (magazine editor) on page 48, we recognise this drawing as this is the illustration that Mike provided us when we asked him for a motive to help us with a T-shirt design project we have been working on.

As always, Prehistoric Times is packed full of model reviews and news stories, congratulations to Mike Landry for his superb, fuzzy Amargasaurus illustration, my nieces particular favourite in this edition.

Prehistoric Times, an excellent magazine for the serious dinosaur fan, to visit Prehistoric Times website, simply click the link below:

Visit Prehistoric Times: Prehistoric Times Magazine

Knowledge Masters Dinosaur Book Reviewed

Designed with children from five years old and upwards in mind ,the book entitled “Knowledge Masters – Dinosaurs” is packed full of fascinating facts and snippets of information about dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals from the Age of Reptiles.  This hardback book has been written in a large font size enabling young people to read it very easily.  The information is broken down into bite-size paragraphs and they are laid out in such a way as to encourage young people to go through the book page by page, thus helping to develop  their reading skills.

Knowledge Masters – Dinosaurs Book

Children's reference book about dinosaurs

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

The thirty-two pages contain a large number of illustrations and drawings of dinosaurs, marine reptiles and flying reptiles (Pterosaurs) and each section is written in a question and answer format  A question is presented in bold text and immediately below it an answer paragraph has been provided.  Running along the top of each page is a mural-like section that provides more information about the animals featured on that specific page.  This book contains questions such as what did dinosaurs eat, are there any fossil birds, did dinosaurs have babies and what colour were the eyes of dinosaurs?  These are the sort of questions that children from four years and upwards ask and this book provides them with a ready source of answers .

The demise of the Dinosauria is particularly well covered.  In the last part of the book the extinction of the Dinosauria and other animals at the end of the Cretaceous geological period is discussed.  A number of possible theories for the mass extinction are put forward and the evidence for an extraterrestrial impact such as an asteroid strike is explained in child-friendly, simple terms.  There is even a handy dinosaur and prehistoric animal index presented on the last page, although it would have been helpful to have had a name pronunciation guide provided as well to help young readers tackle the long and often complicated dinosaur names.

Packed full of Questions and Answers about Prehistoric Animals

Lots of Information on Prehistoric Animals

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

Each of the fourteen chapters in this children’s reference is packed full of questions with their answers and facts and figures about dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures that lived during the Mesozoic Era.    This book would make an excellent addition to a school library or a young dinosaur fan’s book collection.  It is well written, contains lots of colour illustrations and it is jam-packed full of fascinating facts and details related to dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s Books on line: Dinosaur Books and Posters

A Review of the “Great Book of Dinosaurs”

Young dinosaur fans aged from five years and upwards will enjoy this fact-filled, hardback dinosaur book which contains over two hundred illustrations.  Written in a nice, big font, this colourful dinosaur and prehistoric animal book will help encourage young readers, the 124 pages are well-laid out and the text consists of lots of short, clear paragraphs aimed at encouraging young people with their reading skills.

The Front Cover of the “Great Book of Dinosaurs”

Aimed at young readers

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

The contents are set out in six chapters, the first of which introduces the dinosaurs and explains how these reptiles first evolved.  There is also a comprehensive “family tree” that shows the taxonomic relationships between the various different types of creatures that make up the Dinosauria.  Despite the book’s title, flying reptiles (Pterosaurs) are extensively covered as well as dinosaurs and there is a handy timeline that explains how the main types of Pterosaur evolved and when they lived.  The second chapter covers the evolution of the Sauropods, dinosaurs such as Apatosaurus, Camarasaurus and Brachiosaurus.  Other chapters are entitled “Fearsome Hunters”, “Armoured Plant Eaters” and “Two-Legged Runners”.  The Pterosaurs are covered in a chapter towards the end of this book in a section called “Monster Fliers”.

More than two hundred well-crafted illustrations really bring the Mesozoic Era to life and there is lots of information about dinosaur discoveries and palaeontology.  Diagrams of skeletons highlight the main differences between the major groups of dinosaurs and there is a handy “How do I say that” section which spells the names of these prehistoric creatures phonetically, thus helping with pronunciation.  This guide will prove especially helpful to those parents, grandparents and guardians who read this book with their young charges.

An Informative and Enjoyable Read

Packed full of facts and figures.

Picture Credit: Everything Dinosaur

The best-known dinosaurs are given a unique fact file that explains when these animals lived, how big they were and what  they ate.  For those readers who want to use this as a reference book, there is a clearly laid out index at the back.  The Pterosaurs are certainly featured and there is plenty of information on different types of flying reptile, creatures such as the spectacular Phobetor, Pteranodon and perhaps the largest Pterosaur of all – Quetzalcoatlus.

Key words and phrases are explained very well using simple language and this hardback will prove to be very popular with children.  It was pleasing to see that maps had been included which show where the fossils of certain dinosaurs were found.  There is even a double page spread that displays a pair of Tyrannosaurs feeding – T. rex illustrated in glorious, gory colour.

To view Everything Dinosaur’s book range: Dinosaur Books and Posters

A well-written and cleverly illustrated dinosaur book that helps readers learn about the lives of some of the biggest and fiercest creatures known to science.