Encounter dinosaurs like never before

Cover of Learning in Action Dinosaurs by John Malam

Just seeing the cover of Dinosaurs (Learning in Action)will lure young readers into wanting to see what’s inside. And they won’t be disappointed. Yeah, the cover shown on the left is great, but you don’t get the feel for it through a still photo. When you initially pick up the book, you’ll find a cover just like the one on the left, however, the dinosaur’s eye is closed. With the press of a button, the dinosaur roars, opens it’s eye and the eye flashes bright red. Amazing! Even I found myself wanting to hit the button again and again!

Since the cover is just so much fun, it will encourage even the toughest of readers to pick this book up. But the fun doesn’t end there. Open the first page and you’ll be surprised to hear the roar of a newborn Eorapter that literally pops off the page with a 3-D pop-up as it hatches from its egg. I had never heard of a Eorapter until I opened this book and was fascinated to learn that this little two-legged meat-eater was one of the world’s very first dinosaurs.

But that’s just the beginning of what young readers will learn as they enter the age of dinosaurs and experience them like never before. And what I like about this book is that it will appeal to all ages. My four year-old used it as a tool to learn the names of the dinosaurs that appear in Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs and older readers will learn everything from what a dinosaur was to dinosaur weapons to the end of an era.

And as they learn, they’ll be fascinated at the paper engineering by Alison Gardner and James Diaz. Flip a dinosaur egg open to spy a baby dino inside, lift flaps to see a dino’s bones, stretch one of the longest dinosaur’s necks, and sink your teeth in as an Allosaurus snaps right off the page.

Not only is this book a wonderful addition to any dinosaur lover’s collection, but with the holidays right around the corner, it will make a truly memorable present. After all, there aren’t many dinosaur books that allow your young readers to see, hear and encounter prehistoric creatures while also learning so much about them.

Additional Information:
Author: John Malam
Illustrator: John Francis
Reading level: Ages 9-12
Hardcover: 12 pages
Publisher: Silver Dolphin Books; Pop edition (August 11, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1592239404
ISBN-13: 978-1592239405
Source of review copy: PR agency

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