If Dinosaurs Were Alive - Hardcover

PreSchool-Grade 3-- Although it is true that "no people ever saw a dinosaur," it is difficult to believe that "if dinosaurs were alive today," they would find themselves in the situations depicted here. The authors make assumptions based on a particular characteristic of one species of dinosaur and then go on to make an inaccurate projection to cover all species. Casual readers might infer that all dinosaurs could "put away a pile of burgers" because Megalosaurus was a giant meat eater or that all dinosaurs would be tall enough to help decorate the tops of Christmas trees because Diplodocus was 30 feet tall. Anthropomorphism reigns supreme: Tyrannosaurus "looked scary enough without a mask" to go out on Halloween, and "Dimetrodons, with their large fins, may look strange to people, but they looked beautiful to each other." Garish greeting card-style illustrations which emphasize the supposed humorous quality of the text feature stiff-looking people interacting with the dinosaurs. Children will find more to engage their curiosity in Carol Carrick's Patrick's Dinosaurs (1983) and What Happened to Patrick's Dinosaurs? (1986, both Clarion). --Ellen Fader, Westport Public Library, Conn.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.