Despite some minor bobbles, young dinosaur fans will latch onto this heavily illustrated report like starving velociraptors at a picnic. The indefatigably enthusiastic Halls writes with two purposes in mind: to recount the discoveries and natures of dinosaur fossils that include not just bones, but remnants of “skin, hearts, muscles and goop-filled stomachs”—not to mention feathers and a variety of less durable tissues; and to introduce many of the paleontologists who have made, or are making, those discoveries. She highlights six finds in particular, but mentions many more, nearly all of which get at least one photo, and closes with enough references to relevant books, videos, DVDs, Web sites, and public “digs” to satisfy the most demanding dinophile. Spears supplements the photos with cartoon scenes of reconstructed specimens, and Carpenter contributes an essay on the importance of the just-discovered duckbill dubbed “Leonardo.” Though two photos are repeated and the portrait gallery of scientists is capped with a profile of eminent specialist Dr. Karen Chin, in which she’s labeled “a girl who loves digging up dinosaur doo doo,” this is definitely a must, as useful as it is entertaining. (Nonfiction. 10-13)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2003
ISBN: 1-58196-000-X
Page Count: 48
Publisher: N/A
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2003
In this abridged and illustrated version of his Short History of Nearly Everything (2003), Bryson invites a younger crowd of seekers on a tour of time, space and science—from the Big Bang and the birth of the solar system to the growth and study of life on Earth. The single-topic spreads are adorned with cartoon portraits of scientists, explorers and (frequently) the author himself, which go with small nature photos and the occasional chart or cutaway view. Though occasionally subject to sweeping and dubious statements—“There’s no chance we could ever make a journey through the solar system”—Bryson makes a genial guide (“for you to be here now, trillions of drifting atoms had somehow to come together in a complicated and obliging manner to create you”), and readers with even a flicker of curiosity in their souls about Big Ideas will come away sharing his wonder at living in such a “fickle and eventful universe.” (index) (Nonfiction. 11-13)
Pub Date: Oct. 27, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-385-73810-1
Page Count: 176
Publisher: Delacorte
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2009
Remarking that ``nothing about the weather is very simple,'' Simon goes on to describe how the sun, atmosphere, earth's rotation, ground cover, altitude, pollution, and other factors influence it; briefly, he also tells how weather balloons gather information. Even for this outstanding author, it's a tough, complex topic, and he's not entirely successful in simplifying it; moreover, the import of the striking uncaptioned color photos here isn't always clear. One passage—``Cumulus clouds sometimes build up into towering masses called cumulus congestus, or swelling cumulus, which may turn into cumulonimbus clouds''—is superimposed on a blue-gray, cloud-covered landscape. But which kind of clouds are these? Another photo, in blue-black and white, shows what might be precipitation in the upper atmosphere, or rain falling on a darkened landscape, or...? Generally competent and certainly attractive, but not Simon's best. (Nonfiction. 10-12)
Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1993
ISBN: 0-688-10546-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Morrow/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1993
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