Gibbons focuses on how we know what we know about dinosaurs, talking about where discoveries were made and how each dinosaur got its name. Dinosaurs are grouped on double-page spreads into categories such as "Sauropods" and "Ceratopsians" and then discussed individually. Gibbons uses a looser style of painting than usual, including strong splashes of color for a messy but vivid effect. Ind.

Gr 3-4-Gibbons leaps backward into the world of dinosaurs, starting with the cosmic event that may have caused their extinction 65 million years ago. From there she reviews the three geologic periods of the Age of Dinosaurs and provides a brief history of paleontology and its modern methods. What follows are busy pictorial spreads that feature a variety of saurians by classification (e.g., ceratopsians, stegasaurs, etc.) The swirling colorful illustrations depict enough dinos to satisfy novices, though Oviraptor lacks his crest and definitive beak, and Kentrosaurus his formidable shoulder spikes. Also, while Torosaurus once held the slot for the largest skull, it has been ousted by a recent find of an even larger pentoceratopsian skull. No dimensions are provided, but the nesting behavior of Maiasaurus is shown, as is the evolutionary connection between small theropods and modern birds. The book is vigorous, crowded, and slightly flawed, but it will entice young novices into demanding MORE.- Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.