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Discusses more than twenty prehistoric animals, how they were discovered, their modern counterparts, and theories on their extinction. ... Read more

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Simple text and illustrations present the life of American Mastadon, how it looked, and its behavior - in both English and Spanish. ... Read more

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Discusses prehistoric animals that were savage or dangerous, from early fishes and reptiles through the dinosaurs to the time of the big mammals and the two-legged hunters. ... Read more

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Discusses the evolution of animals in prehistoric times from one-celled creatures which lived in water, to fish and insects, to the huge reptiles known as dinosaurs, and eventually to the prehistoric mammals. ... Read more

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Simple text and illustrations present velociraptor, their body parts, and behavior - in both English and Spanish. ... Read more

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Introduces, in text and illustrations, a variety of prehistoric animals whose fossilized remains have provided scientists with clues about their physical characteristics and the environment in which they lived. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

EXCELLENT WORK AND THE KIDS LOVE IT!
I must admit that I have some reservations concerning this work.These concerns basically deal with what I find to be technical flaws in the work.These have been pointed out in the School Library Journal review and they are valid up to a certain point.Yes, the author is not all that specific as to time lines in this work and the book does have one page which shows dinosaurs becoming extinct presumably due to weather change, i.e. a big snow storm.Some of the labels on one of the animals shown are a bit difficult to interpret and blah, blah, blah.Oh, good grief...I forgot...I am an adult...actually an old man...this work was written for kids...never mind!

Now that being said, it must be remembered that this is a book for kids...very young kids, ages 4 to 8.This is not; I repeat NOT a college level study of prehistoric times and the flora and fauna of those past years.Now that being said, I know for a fact that kids absolutely love this book and it is one of the most beat up and heavily used books in both the school and public library.I have observed many children reading this work and talked to them about it.It may amaze you when I tell you this, but I have yet to have one of the little guys or girls get bent out of frame due to the fact that the author does not mention the Paleocene, Eocene or Pleistocene era.The author has offered a very well illustrated time line using years rather than scientific terms.While this may be inconsistent with her use of scientific terms and names for the animals, which the author does use...trust me, the kids could care less.This is a case of adults getting their noses out of joint because they have forgotten what it was like being a 5 or 6 year old kid.If a parent or teacher wants the kid to learn the scientific term for each prehistoric age, then for goodness sakes they need to get off their behinds, do a bit of research, and supplement this work with whatever they come up with.This is what parents and teachers are for!

No, these kids enjoy the wonderful pictures of these long extinct creatures and they get an absolute kick out of pronouncing the names of these creatures as they read about them.The delight in the child's eye as they read and pronounce Megistotherium (meg-is-toe-THEE-re-um) or Andrewsarchus (an-drew-SAR-kus) is a wonderful thing to see.

This book can keep a wee one occupied for literally hours and will receive many rereads.I like this work and wish there were more like it around.The author has skillfully blended a great natural history lesson in with a wonderful history lesson and on top of all that, has introduced the young reader to some very difficult words and done it in a fashion that the child will receive almost instant results from their work.This is a good thing.

I do highly recommend this work.

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

GREAT BOOK
MY LITTLE BOY IS FOUR YEARS OLD AND THIS IS HIS FAVORITE BOOK.

THE ILLUSTRATIONS ARE GREAT .THE INFORMATION IS VERY CLEAR AND EASY TOUNDERSTAND.ALL LITTLE BOYS THAT LOVE DINOSAURS WILL LOVE THIS BOOK. ... Read more

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Simple text and illustrations present megalodon, their body parts, and behavior - in both English and Spanish. ... Read more

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This stunning new series presents five unique views of the amazing animal world.The high-quality illustrations on extra glossy paper are so captivating that young and old alike will be mesmerized by their power and beauty.The extra large pages make this an ideal addition for home libraries.In this mini-museum of amazing dinosaur skeletons, children will explore the magnificent inner structures that made these prehistoric beasts so special.This dramatically illustrated book is a must for every dinosaur buff!Look for other titles in this exciting series:

Bizarre Beasts

ISBN# 0-7681-0191-3

Creatures That Glow

ISBN# 0-7681-0183-2

Creepy Crawlies

ISBN# 0-7681-0186-7

Prickly and Poisonous

ISBN# 0-7681-0185-9 ... Read more

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An unmatched reference work distinguished by its erudition and beauty, The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures is an illustrated who's who of prehistoric life, a Baedeker of more than 500 million years of evolution on Earth.

With entries for more than 600 species, each arranged in its evolutionary sequence, the book presents a panorama of enormous diversity, from predatory dinosaurs to primitive amphibians, from giant armored fish to woolly mammoths, saber-tooth tigers and dire wolves. Each entry features a specially commissioned full-color painting prepared according to the best research of today in close collaboration with world-renowned paleontologists. The records of the rocks -- fossil bones, teeth, skin, hair and even footprints and nests -- have been combined with knowledge of the anatomy and behavior of present-day descendants to arrive at informed judgments about posture, color and other aspects of appearance.

Lively and informative "biographies" of the creatures accompany these remarkable illustrations: how they moved, what they ate, where they ranged and the habitats and ecological niches they occupied. Comparisons are made wherever possible with familiar living animals, highlighting both the contrasts and similarities. Also included are articles on subjects such as the time scale of evolution, fossil formation and interpretation and convergent evolution.

Truly a magnificent sourcebook, The Simon & Schuster Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs and Prehistoric Creatures is both a triumph of scholarship and a work of art. It will stand as the best and most accurate presentation of the prehistoric animal world available. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

An engrossing and informative volume for laymen or experts
This volume is the best one I've found on prehistoric creatures. Having always been fascinated by them, I wanted as an adult to find something to broaden the base I'd built as a kid obsessed with Tyrannosaurus and trilobites. Though I'm far from a paleontologist or even a biologist (my own training is in anthropology and linguistics) I find this book a pleasure to browse and consult.

Beginning with the earliest worm-like organisms and evolving through the early fish, amphibians and armored sea creatures, the book continues on up through dinosaurs, Pleistocene megafauna and finally simians and hominids. The desciptions are brief but seem informative, but it is the quality of the artwork that I value most. I never tire of looking at the colorful depictions of the denizens of Devonian swamps, Ordovician seas and Jurassic forests.

So, while I cannot pretend to be an authority, and though I certainly must defer some credibility and ask that you look at my review in conjunction with those of my fellow critics who disagree, I offer my personal recommendation on this book to any person interested in prehistoric life and what it must have been like.

Engaging at first, but then the flaws ...
This book looked great at first, but then, on closer inspection, the drawings are second-rate, the information is thin, and the inaccuracies mount. Yet, there are no real alternatives that seek to comprehensivelycatalogue ancient life. I'd still buy it, but my enthusiasm has waned.

On the second thought...
Several months after acquiring the book I leaf through it and wonder how I could have given it such a high rating as I did. It has flaws throughout!

- The book appears to have a drastic shortage of species tolist - it is only half as thick as Simon and Schuster's Encyclopedia ofAnimals - despite the fact that on numerous occasions they list but one ortwo species from a thirty-species family;

- The art is severely degradedfrom the above mentioned encyclopedia of animals. While I can see thepuzzlement concerning the colors of the creatures' hides, there is noexcuse for the the sloppy drawings of several of the animals!If you makea conjecture, please, be sure to follow through!On several of the animalsthe hair cover fails to obey the laws of physics, and most of theamphibians look like a horrid joke.

- The information is sketchy at best- on numerous occasions special biological mechanisms are mentioned (like anew jaw bone arrangement for the fishes, and the skull structures of theearly land animals), yet are never explained in function. Almost allspecies are captioned with the basics like weight and dimensions followedwith senseless filler.

- The between-section class summarizations and thecladistic graphs are also very, very basic. While I understand that thebook was not intended for specialists, even the basic layman will find thecharts a bit "dumbed down".

This book is flashy and artful, butlacking, lacking a great lot.

An incredible work
I have always longed for such a book. Probably it's a grave mistake on my part to make that the firt sentense of a review, but still. I daresay, anyone who has ever been in the very least intereste in paleontology hasalways longed for this sort of tome. The authors have satisfied both ourlove of visuals ( pictures are abundant - they accompiny every entry, infull blazing color by very trustworthy artists, generally sure to catchanyone's eye) and our love of the unknown ( this is the firstnon-specialist book that I have seen that goes beyond the everyday banalcreatures like the pachycephalosaurus and the pterosaurids). This book issheer pleasure while doing any sort of research, even for the specialistswho need solid information. Perhaps there isn't quite enough data withevery entry ( due to page limits), but the information that is included isaccurate and up-to-date. This is a very good book.

Fascinating pictures and fascinating text !
I have been looked for such a book for a long time, and now I have it. Reading this book is delightful, as it gives you plenty of informations about prehistoric animals in a very attractive manner. You have very nicepictures of all animals, with a short explanation giving all essential dataabout them (size, anatomic singularities, food habits, ...). In addition,extremely interesting introducing sections give you a vision of each branchof animals, together with explanations on the evolutionary processconcerning them.

This very up-to-date pictorial guide to now disappearedanimals is a treasure for anybody interested in evolution anddiversification of life. It gives you enough matter to become a specialistin this domain ! If you want to have one book on dinosaurs and otherprehistoric animals, make it be this one. ... Read more

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Simple text and illustrations present the life of pteranodon, how it looked, and its behavior - in both English and Spanish. ... Read more

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Simple text and illustrations present iguandon, their body parts, and behavior - in both English and Spanish. ... Read more

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Simple text and illustrations present diplodocus, their body parts, and behavior - in both English and Spanish. ... Read more

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Simple text and illustrations present triceratops, its body parts, and behaviorin both English and Spanish. ... Read more

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Simple text and illustrations present sabertooth cats, their body parts, and behaviorin both English and Spanish. ... Read more

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An authoritative reference guide to the animals of the prehistoric world offers a chronological study of five different geological periods, with profiles of the dinosaurs and other animals who lived during each. BOMC. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Great book for all ages!
This book is wonderful! I bought it for my 3 year old son. It has tons of pictures! I would recommend this for children of all ages.

Great for kids and up
Well, I had to go into a real bookstore to check out dinosaur books.The one drawback about shopping online, you really can't be sure what you're getting unless someone tells you.Well THIS book is great.Where most of the books I flipped through had an all around discussion of when, when, and how of dinosaurs, most of them didn't really show you many of the actual dinosaurs!I'll tell you what this book HAS.First, a really quick grouping of the different types of dinosaurs.At the beginning of each time period, you get a summary of what life was like at that time, a picture of the earth's continents, and who was where.After that it's ALL DINOSAURS!You get a well illustrated pic of each dinosuar listed, its size with comparison to an average height human, and it shows which period they lived in and where.There is a short one paragraph summary of the life and habits of each dinosaur.This is a really great book that gives you a lot of dinosaurs with info to help you understand.Not much about their digestive systems or how many leaves where on the plants around them.This-is a DINOSAUR BOOK!

Had to own it!
We checked this out at the library.My nearly-three "read" it so often that he wound up tearing a page.We got it fixed up and then checked it out again.Finally, we decided to buy it.He loves the detailed drawings and illustrations. I like that there are lots of pages of drawings so he has something to look at for a good while.It is a "real" book, so it's a little dangerous in toddler hands. If they enjoy dinosaurs, though, this one should take you through the years. There's enough science info to be interesting through the middle school years.
This book is a great addition to your dinosaur lover's library.

Great Book!
This was a great book. I got it in 1993 and have liked it ever since. It lists every dinosaur from Nodosaurus, to Dryosaurus. It's got about two-hundred pages, and gives information on every animal and dinosaur in the book. It shows animals that aren't even dinosaurs, and if you likedinosaurs (Who Doesn't?), you will certainly enjoy this book. ... Read more