Ocean Monsters

November 1, 2008
Gr 1-3-Sensationalized titles and action-packed covers should draw interest to this well-conceived introduction to dinosaurs. A sentence or two offers a key fact about the animal with follow-up data in a brief question-and-answer format. In each volume, a size chart, a fact box, and the phonetic pronunciation of the name, along with its meaning, provide further basics. Each spread features an effective full-color painting of the dinosaur in action; most add a smaller illustration showing bones, spot details, or modern animal relatives. A handy map and time chart identify where and when each species lived, rounding out the well-organized presentation.

Copyright 2008 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2009
Each volume profiles eight dinosaurs or other prehistoric creatures. Left-hand pages include pronunciation guides, helpful to-scale comparison to humans, and a few facts. On the right are full-page, static, sometimes blurry illustrations of the creatures in action. Maps of where the species' fossils have been found and timelines showing when they lived are appended. Reading list. Glos., ind.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)