Review: There Were Dinosaurs Everywhere!: A Rhyming Romp Through Dinosaur History by Howard Temperley Illustrations by Michael Kline

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

The phenomenon of the dinosaur is one that continues to fascinate people of all ages. It is not hard to see why: these monstrous creatures dominated the earth in their day somewhat similarly to the way humans dominate the earth today. Certainly, the vast differences between dinosaurs and humans probably account for the enthrallment—we are amazed that such "mythical" creatures actually did exist.
There Were Dinosaurs Everywhere!: A Rhyming Romp Through Dinosaur History is a fun-filled history of the many species of dinosaurs, their eras, interesting facts about them, why the age of dinosaurs came to an end, and a dinosaur timeline—all told in an appealing verse form that children from ages 5 to 12 will find informative, funny and unforgettable.
This book contains much of the factual and historical information that a middle-school textbook on dinosaurs might contain, but the big difference between such textbooks and There Were Dinosaurs Everywhere! is that this is an instructional, educational book that no child (and perhaps many adults) will not want to put down.
Mr. Temperley's verse is captivating and catchy; Mr. Kline's illustrations are amusing and attractive. This is a unique addition to children's books on dinosaurs, and it is sure to stand out from the others—those that simply don't have the same flair for telling a very popular story.

MY TAKE:
Lots of kids go through "dinosaur" phases, so I think this book could have a huge audience.

In There Were Dinosaurs Everywhere!, we are introduced to all sorts of land, air and water dinosaurs, as well as paleontologists.

Each dinosaur has a short poem and illustration just for them. Given how many dinosaurs and topics were mentioned, you can tell how much effort the author put into this. The dinosaurs mentioned ranged from the more well-known Tyrannosaurus to the less-known Scutosaurus. I think it's meant for older kids, though, as there are plenty of big words which younger kids may not understand unless they ask their parents.

The illustration style wasn't my cup of tea, though. The coloring looked sort of pixelated and not smooth, as though it was rendered on a computer. However, I did find a lot of the illustrations, particularly on the last half of the book funny.

Thanks to NetGalley and JKSCommunications for the e-copy.

THE GOOD:

1. It features both well-known and less-known dinosaurs.
2. Kids who like dinosaurs will enjoy this.
3. You learn a lot about each dinosaur.

THE BAD:

1. Some of the words may be too difficult for younger kids.

FAVORITE QUOTE/S:

This herbivore was very small
Being under two feet tall

READ IT IF:

1. You like dinosaurs.
2. Your child likes dinosaurs.
3. Your child likes learning.

RATING:


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