Maiasaura (Introducing Dinosaurs)

Reviewed with Susan H. Gray's Coelophysis.

Gr. 3-6. These titles in the Exploring Dinosaurs series begin with action-packed scenes that imagine the creatures roaming their ancient forests. Later chapters present facts and speculations about the dinosaurs' physical characteristics, habits, and finally, their extinction. Vocabulary words appear throughout the text, although not all challenging terms, such as theropod, are defined in the appended glossary. But veteran science author Gray writes in accessible, instructive language that shows, with graceful simplicity, the common sense behind many scientific theories: "An animal with an enormous body to feed probably spends most of its time eating," she writes in maiasaura. An attractive mix of artists' renderings of dinosaurs in their natural habitat mix with color photos of fossils and scientists in the field, and descriptions of the first discoveries of each species' fossils will introduce children not only to each dinosaur's history but also to the field of paleontology. A geologic time line rounds out these attractive titles that children will want for both research and browsing. Gillian Engberg
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Gr 4-6-Species facts and paleontology blend effectively in this dinosaur set. Each title starts with a story about a dinosaur in action; these are not especially gripping, but some link neatly to actual fossil discoveries that readers learn about later. A fairly thorough treatment of physical features follows, accompanied by images of dinosaurs, bones, fossils, and scientists. Though not tremendously eye-catching, the visuals effectively support the written content. Captions, presented in a handwritten font that resembles field notes, add more specific details. Subsequent chapters look at fossil discoveries and sometimes provide interesting details about the scientists involved as well as information about species behavior and the eventual disappearance of the dinosaurs. Some chapters end with a couple of pages featuring either a broader look at dinosaurs in general or a specific aspect of the featured dinosaur, such as the triceratops's head. VERDICT Smooth prose and strongly organized text and illustrations make this a better-than-average choice for the dinosaur shelves.α(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.