Wow! World Of Wonder Dinosaurs

All children are fascinated by dinosaurs, and "World of Wonders: Dinosaurs" is an ideal introduction to these wonderful creatures. In question-and-answer format, it addresses the key questions that children are likely to ask: What were dinosaurs? When did they live? What did they eat? Why did they die? It describes what is known of the life of the dinosaurs - how they gave birth, how they looked after their young - and how fossil evidence is gathered. It also describes the other great families of reptiles that lived at the same time: the marine plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs, and the flying pterosaurs.Magnificent full-colour pictures by Nick Hewetson almost leap off the page. Each is labelled with the correct scientific name of the animal, complete with a simple pronunciation guide. Two spreads have been designed with an acetate overlay to show internal structures. There is a 'true or false' quiz that runs through the book, with answers given at the end, to make it truly interactive. The glossary and index encourage children to use the book as an educational resource. It fits in with the QCA Scheme of Work for Science - Unit 5b 'Life cycles'. It helps achieve the goals of the Scottish Standard Curriculum 5-14, promoting 'positive attitudes to learning'. Editorial Reviews From Booklist Vivid, lifelike illustrations of dinosaurs on the move distinguish this picture-book title in the World of Wonder series. Each spread begins with a question: "Did dinosaurs fly?" "How do we know about dinosaurs?" Occasionally the text feels too simplistic; reptiles, for example, are defined only as "a type of animal with scaly skin." For the most part, though, the words are clear and target specific facts that young dinophiles will quickly add to their storehouse of knowledge. The dynamic layouts greatly enhance the book's appeal with busy, but not overcrowded, pages that combine large illustrations of dinosaurs with true-or-false quizzes, large-print explanations, and a few clear acetate overlays, one showing a cross section of a dinosaur egg, another depicting small dinos hiding in a tropical landscape. Particularly interesting are small, boxed silhouettes that compare each dino species' size to a human figure. This isn't a necessary purchase for libraries with already overflowing shelves of dinosaur books, but the book's interactive, visually arresting format will easily entice young browsers. Grades K-3. --Gillian Engberg --This text refers to the Library Binding edition. About the Author David Stewart is an established writer of non-fiction books for young children. He lives in Brighton, England, with his wife and son.