Dinosaur Bones

\ Publishers WeeklyThe creator of Dem Bones digs up another set of rattling fine specimens for this splashy expedition into the world of fossils. A simple poem ("Dinosaurs are gone for good./ Maybe dinosaurs once lived in your neighborhood!") serves as an umbrella framework for a lesson on prehistoric favorites. Each turn of the page pairs a single stanza in hand-lettered type ("Dinosaurs had teeth to bite and jaws to chew") with an accompanying illustration, while a bite-size piece of additional information in smaller type helps extend the book's appeal to older readers ("The shape of the jaws and teeth help scientists find out if a dinosaur was a meat or plant eater"). The snappy, vigorous rhymes ("They had bones with disks and bones with points,/ bones for running with sockets and joints") propel the production forward, while the artwork, a jazzy blend of pen-and-ink, watercolor, cut and torn paper and computer graphics, creates a tantalizing blend of streamlined shapes and saturated colors. Barner shows each spotlighted dinosaur in both skeletal and living form, and two concluding spreads offer more information in a height chart and "dinometer" chart, fleshing out such questions as "What did it eat?" and "What does its footprint look like?" A splendid introduction to a perennially popular subject. Ages 2-8. (Aug.) Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.\ \ \ \ \ Children's Literature\ - Jean Boreen\ This humorous picture book details the story of the dinosaurs and their time on earth, both when alive and today with the fossils that remind us of their existence. The history of ‘dinosaur bones" is told at two levels; the first is a rhyming poem with one line per page. The second is a more detailed history of dinosaurs with interesting facts that correspond to the poem. For example, the rhyming line is "Dinosaurs had teeth to bite and jaws to chew;" the factual paragraph includes "The shape of the jaws and teeth help scientists find out if a dinosaur was a meat or plant eater." A further addition to this charming text is the CD, narrated by Jerry Dixon with a hip, humorous quality, and music written and performed by Raul Malo. Readers can choose a variety of styles from the CD to correspond with their reading. For parents who want their children to begin learning words, there is an option that allows for students to read along with the text while Dixon reads with them. The illustrations, also by Barner, are fun and attention-getting with their focus on primary colors. This delightful picture book will be a great addition to the library of anyone working with young readers.\ \ \ School Library JournalPreS-Gr 1-In a mode similar to Byron Barton's cheerful Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones (HarperCollins, 1990), Barner focuses on the bones themselves (and their fleshy coverings) rather than on their collection. Fancifully created in colorful paper collages, the creatures romp and galumph across the pages to the measure of the simple, rhyming text (bolstered by snippets of facts in a smaller font). A few extra pages of brief data on size, weight, favored comestibles, etc., will be helpful to parents and teachers. However, eagle-eyed dinophiles will be quick to point out that Barner's Brachiosaurus lacks the extra-long forelegs common to its kind, as they enjoy the bouncy rhythms and ebullient artwork.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.\ \ \ \ \ Kirkus ReviewsWith its dazzling colors and big, simple, paper collage forms, this may draw fans of Byron Barton's Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs (1989) and Bones, Bones, Dinosaur Bones (1990), but it's strictly an also-ran. Between a lame, large-type rhyme at the top and several lines of commentary in smaller type below each scene, Barner (Fish Wish, 2000, etc.) alternates skeletal and fleshed-out portraits of five popular dinosaurs. Problem is that the skeleton paired with Spinosaurus belongs to some other (unspecified) creature, and-even novice dino fans will puzzle over this one-all of the T. Rexes have flat, plant-eater teeth. Also, Barner will leave most readers none the wiser by rightly noting that some dinosaurs had hips like birds, and some like lizards, but neither showing nor explaining the difference. The design wins no points either; background colors are so saturated that some blocks of text are indistinct, and the "Dino-meter" at the end is not a measurement chart (that appears on the previous spread), but a table of general facts. Give this one a miss. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-7)\ \