June 1, 2010
Gr 3-5-Think of the History Channel's "Jurassic Fight Club", Jinny Johnson's "Dino Wars" (Abrams, 2005), and maybe toss in a bit of Bakugan, and you'll know the approach in this slender series. O'Hearn pairs dinos for face-offs, mentioningbut disregardingvariations in dates and distance that would make such confrontations unlikely. His brief texts offer data on the protagonists' size and their probable defenses, weapons, and attack styles. He then presents an imagined battle between each pair, ending with a victory for one. Possible unfamiliar terms are defined at the bottom of the page and again in the glossary (with phonetic pronunciation). "Fierce Fact" boxes pop up here and there, modest illustrations abound, and a teensy list of further reading and the FactHound site are included. Johnson's grabber is still in print."Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY"
Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
April 1, 2010
Grades 3-5 Taking inspiration from the zillions of battle royales waged with plastic figures in backyards everywhere, the Dinosaur Wars series mixes scientific fact with senseless warfare. The first thing readers find out is that this fight never happenedVelociraptors died out some 10 million years before T. rex took the stage. Thankfully, this bummer is but a brief detour. Soon we are gauging each foes strengths with chapters such as Size, Speed, and Attack Style. Both beasts are given star ratings for each category while the text fills in stats, fun facts, and some attitude, too (Velociraptor was a lap dog compared to T. rex). The layout resembles an old-fashioned poster for a boxing bout, with stamped patterns upon a papery background. The illustrations of the dinosaurs, meanwhile, are angry-looking and two-toneduntil the fight begins. Then the art changes to rich (and bloody) full color, and the text slips into an action narrative. If youve seen Jurassic Park, you know how this particular battle ends, but that doesnt make the journey any less invigorating.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)
July 1, 2010
You might call this "fantasy dinosaur wars" since the combatants in both books lived at different times. These scenarios pitting the two title dinosaurs against one another reveal their size, agility, strength, speed, weapons, attack style, and defenses. Absurd premise aside, the details of the play-by-play are fascinating and instructive. With toothy action sketches ("Get Ready to Rumble") and very brief sidebars. Reading list. Glos., ind.
(Copyright 2010 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)