DK Great Dinosaur Atlas

Rating:
Summary: Great Introduction to Dinosaurs
Review: This atlas serves as a lovely introduction to the world of dinosaurs. At just 64 pages, it is very readable with text that is easily understood & yet not patronizing to the beginner. The book tries to be comprehensive in its coverage by first telling us about the formation of the continents & how this explains where dinosaur fossils are found. The dinosaurs found on each of the continents are then covered, and this is interspersed with specific information on the various types of dinosaurs eg the carnosaurs, sauropods, horned dinosaurs etc. All the way, the book is beautifully illustrated with detailed & colorful renditions of the dinosaurs & their skeletons by Giuliano Fornari, who has a list of other dinosaur books to his credit. One gripe is that the book doesn't appear to be up to date. It was originally published in 1991 and although this is listed as the 'First American Revised Edition 1999', recent dicoveries are not mentioned - eg the book lists Ultrasauros as the longest dinosaur, but in 1993, the 130 foot long Argentinosaurus huinculensis was named. Another dinosaur recently described, Sauroposeidon, found in Oklahoma might be even bigger. In addition, Tyrannosaurus rex is mentioned as the largest carnosaur, but I believe that the Giganotosaurus carolinii named in 1995 might be bigger. Still, these are small gripes that do not detract from the fact that this is a great book for budding dinosaur lovers of all ages ( even my 16 month old son pulls the book down to leaf thro its pages daily).

Rating:
Summary: Great Introduction to Dinosaurs
Review: This atlas serves as a lovely introduction to the world of dinosaurs. At just 64 pages, it is very readable with text that is easily understood & yet not patronizing to the beginner. The book tries to be comprehensive in its coverage by first telling us about the formation of the continents & how this explains where dinosaur fossils are found. The dinosaurs found on each of the continents are then covered, and this is interspersed with specific information on the various types of dinosaurs eg the carnosaurs, sauropods, horned dinosaurs etc. All the way, the book is beautifully illustrated with detailed & colorful renditions of the dinosaurs & their skeletons by Giuliano Fornari, who has a list of other dinosaur books to his credit. One gripe is that the book doesn't appear to be up to date. It was originally published in 1991 and although this is listed as the 'First American Revised Edition 1999', recent dicoveries are not mentioned - eg the book lists Ultrasauros as the longest dinosaur, but in 1993, the 130 foot long Argentinosaurus huinculensis was named. Another dinosaur recently described, Sauroposeidon, found in Oklahoma might be even bigger. In addition, Tyrannosaurus rex is mentioned as the largest carnosaur, but I believe that the Giganotosaurus carolinii named in 1995 might be bigger. Still, these are small gripes that do not detract from the fact that this is a great book for budding dinosaur lovers of all ages ( even my 16 month old son pulls the book down to leaf thro its pages daily).