MILES, Liz . Giant Dinosaurs . ISBN 978-1-84858-568-3 . LC 2011051443. MILES, Liz . Killer Dinosaurs . ISBN 978-1-84858-569-0 . LC 2011051449. MILES, Liz . Sea Monsters . ISBN 978-1-84858-570-6 . LC 2011051447. ea vol: 32p. (Prehistoric Safari Series). chart. diag. illus. photos. further reading. glossary. index. websites. CIP. Arcturus . 2012. PLB $28.50. Gr 3-6 Visual excitement abounds in this unusual approach to nonfiction. Facts are conveyed through a fantasy journey into prehistoric times. Readers, who are addressed in the second person ("You are about to parachute from a plane down to a secret island-an island full of huge prehistoric monsters."), encounter a multitude of fascinating creatures, described in short bursts of text augmented by text boxes of statistics and a chart on the closing pages that will make clear to students that the featured creatures existed millions of year apart and are now extinct. Characterized more by breadth than depth, the books would be only marginally useful for research. Nonetheless, their adventure-packed, imagination-encouraging framework and realistic, colorful illustrations will pique interest, and the thorough list of further readings and websites encourages additional investigation.

These books are written as imaginary land, air, and sea expeditions, where readers skip across time and space to view awkward composite images of dinosaurs and other prehistoric life in their natural habitats. On each unattractive two-page spread, factual tidbits and field guidelike statistics about the featured animal accompany the main illustration. A concluding "safari report" provides helpful comparative information. Reading list, website. Glos., ind.