Karma♥Bites’s Mercurial Reads

Note: Review originally posted 8-Dec-2012 on Amazon & GR. Minor edits (clean-up) made after import to BL.

Full title: There Were Dinosaurs Everywhere!: A Rhyming Romp Through Dinosaur History

Recommended but with some caveats...

I had to think long and hard about this one. Based on the cover (so cute!) and age guide of 5+, I was expecting a book a couple of notches above Yolen's "How Do Dinosaurs..." series—specifically for a child who had graduated from "The Land Before Time" and "Ice Age" movies.

However, despite the rhyming verses and illustrations, THERE WERE DINOSAURS EVERYWHERE! is more a pseudo-textbook—very comprehensive and technical in content. Consequently, it seems more appropriate for secondary school children. But it IS a worthwhile investment if your child is fascinated with dinosaurs (or science in general) because s/he can "grow" with the book, understanding more with each re-read over the years.

THE GOOD:

1. Table of Contents which a parent can use to plan in advance which sections to read and when. At 80 pages, this book is not a quick, one-sitting read so the clearly delineated sections are very helpful. In addition, the "Dinosaur Timeline" at the end is a very useful reference but again, the wording and content is more akin to a reference book. Children will require translation of many facts to simpler terms.
   
   
2. Creative rhyming verses, sprinkled with humor here and there (e.g., "But isn't it an awful shame / They couldn't find a better name?"). At times, some verses were a bit awkward/forced so I recommend a practice run or two prior to reading to/with a child.
   
   
3. Wonderful illustrations which are realistic yet modified enough so they shouldn't frighten younger children. (Note: The pictures in my copy were a bit fuzzy but I will attribute that to reviewing a digital ARC.)
   
   
4. Better for afternoon storytime, as opposed to bedtime reading. And in addition to learning about specific dinosaurs and their time period, children will get a general sense of the cycle of life (hopefully).

THE CONCERNS:

1. Disagree with age appropriateness noted as "Reading level: Ages 5 and up", given the concepts, long/difficult dinosaur names (thankfully, the author provides a pronunciation guide), and extensive text. As a fun yet educational book, I feel that it's more suited for middle school ages.
   
   
2. Text is not very kid-friendly, with many technical terms used throughout (e.g., "theropod") in addition to more adult terms (e.g., "fossilized", "fibrous", "methane gas", "flatulent", and "masticate"). Thus, a parent may need to prep in advance and/or have a dictionary handy and be prepared to stop and explain at various points. I had a long and deep fascination with dinosaurs as a youngster so I enjoyed reading this book for my own sake. But because most information had been forgotten (and seeing "Jurassic Park" eons ago doesn't count), even I encountered some rough spots.
   
   
3. Some discretionary censoring may be required. For example, I found "Raptors Always Chewed Their Food" to be humorous but for a young child? It was a bit too descriptive as to how a raptor would eat a human. "The Death of the Dinosaurs" section also could be tricky so maybe hold off reading it until ready for a conversation about asteroids/meteors striking Earth. (As an aside, the pictured asteroid was scarily not drawn to scale—that sucker would've obliterated Earth!) Lastly, while true, I'm not sure how many kids are ready to learn that "The greatest predator of all is YOU".

The only real negative I had? Thought that the "Dinosaur Attack! The Movie" section was unnecessary. Its inclusion and mention of aliens took the focus away from the primary subject of dinosaurs.

* My thanks to the author/publisher and NetGalley for providing a review copy.