School Library Journal Review

Gr 4-6-These titles are full of color and spikes, frills and armor, and toothiness. While offering many new species for young dinophiles to amaze doting parents and grandparents, problems exist. For example, in Horned, Protoceratops (shown on facing pages) flaunts a modest frill on the left, and an extraordinary one on the right. The same problem surfaces elsewhere in Armored, with the Kentrosaurus, whose shoulder spikes are mentioned in the text, has spikes in one illustration but none in three others. As for Parasaurolophus, readers are told that "the tip of the crest may have set into a notch in the backbone" but nary a notch is to be seen. In the description of the process of fossilization in a Seismosaurus, only "flying reptiles" are mentioned as scavengers, while it is highly likely other critters gathered for such an enormous source of free lunches. While global distribution maps are offered, no pinpointing dots are provided, leaving readers uncertain of where the "Amarga Canyon in western Argentina" might be when presented with a continental map of South America. So, with oddly paired illustrations, some evident misinformation or lack of necessary data, this colorful trio might initially entice, but will not satisfy.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.