Starred Review ALA Booklist (Wed Aug 01 00:00:00 CDT 2007)

Starred Review Aiming for readers who devour the visually rich nonfiction of DK's Eyewitness series, the Insiders series debuts with Egypt, Oceans, Space, and this title on dinosaurs, sure to be the most popular. The eye-catching qualities of the unjacketed book begin with the embossed, metallic cover and extend to the interior, where unusually realistic renderings of the Mesozoic's denizens dominate each double-page spread. Like others in the series, this follows a two-part format, the first ("Introducing") offering broad background and the second ("In-Depth") going into greater detail about specific topics. For instance, the first section includes paleontological periods, extinction theories, and a striking pictorial time line tracing the first bird archaeopteryx to the earliest feathered dinosaurs. The second section contains profiles of a diverse selection of species, including such popular dinos as Allosaurus, Tryannosaurus, and Triceratops. Throughout, Long finds opportunities to highlight the evolving paleontological consensus: For instance, a sidebar shows four vastly different interpretations of Iguanadon, from depictions that resemble mythical dragons to the less-fanciful view of today. Apart from the lack of information about any scientific rationale behind the reptiles' predominantly gray-green tones, this is an otherwise valuable, high-interest entry in a promising new series, reasonably priced for its detailed content and appealing packaging. Glossary and a dinosaur "family tree" appended.

Horn Book (Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 CDT 2008)

This guide delves into the lives of dinosaurs. The first half introduces general facts about when and where they lived as well as how scientists gather information about them. The second half focuses on specific meat- and plant-eating dinosaurs, with details about each one. Though the information is scattered, double-page spreads are richly illustrated and filled out with explanatory captions. Glos., ind.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

This informative volume is one of four—the others are Oceans, Space and Egypt—launching the INsiders series of paper-over-board books that explore various subjects in arresting visual detail. The textured, glossy cover art of the books features close-up images (in this case a ferocious-looking dinosaur bares its sharp teeth) hinting at the attention-grabbing illustrations within. Richly hued, crisp computer-generated art and 3-D model imagery serve as a stunning and sophisticated graphic counterpoint to the educational text. The series' format breaks the information into two categories: “INtroducing” and “IN focus,” the former offering an overview and the latter providing “fast facts at your fingertips.” <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">Dinosaurs' first section covers such topics as occurrences in the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous periods; dinosaur anatomy, attack and defense strategies; how they raised their young and the discovery and interpretation of fossils. The following section zeroes in on specific dinosaur species, spotlighting physical characteristics, behavior and the locations where their fossils have been found. Throughout, facts are presented in concise blocks of text and extended captions. This and the other INsiders titles conclude with an extensive glossary and index, recommending this accessible, eye-pleasing series as a reference tool as well as diverting recreational reading. Ages 8-12. <EMPHASIS TYPE=""ITALIC"">(July)

School Library Journal

Gr 5-8-Dramatic covers are eye-grabbers in this series from Down Under, ranging from a high-tech astronaut to a toothy Tyrannosaur, a marine green turtle, and a gilded pharaoh. The rest of the abundant color illustrations (by a variety of artists) are equally inviting, and they are complemented here and there by small photographs and maps. In following the all-too-familiar two-page-chapter format, the texts are limited to blocks of paragraphs, with more specific information deployed in the many captions paired with the realistic illustrations. General topics are explored first in the "introduction" segments (e.g., "Objects in Space"), segueing into the "in focus" sections (which in Space consist of the components of our solar system and some specific stellar objects). In Dinosaurs, the initial look is at dino-eras and dino-life, with the "focus" half homing in on specific species (all popular ones). Entries in the indexes may lead only to uncaptioned illustrations. Differing greatly from DK's popular "Eyewitness" series in their reliance on artwork instead of photography and with a "smoother" visual feel, these books are also on a somewhat simpler reading level. More informative than "The Best Book of" series (Kingfisher), these titles are pleasing, updated looks at topics popular in most curricula, and often sought by kids for their own pleasure.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.