How Big Were Dinosaurs?

Justification

How Big Were Dinosaurs? is a fun informational read. This book was reviewed by Horn Book Magazine, New York Times, Publishers Weekly and is on a starred list for School Library Journal. This book is popular due to the nature of the topic- Dinosaurs!

Evaluation

The illustrations in this book are colorful and informative as well. The author, Lita Judge, uses the illustrations to depict the size of the dinosaurs in comparison to animals and objects that readers are familiar with. The watercolor pictures are eye catching as well as essential to the book. One picture explains the size of a Velociraptor as similar to a large dog. The illustration depicts the dinosaur walking with an owner on a leash.

This book does a great job giving factual information and relating the size of dinosaurs to what we already know about. The illustrations help readers visualize the size while making the book fun and interesting at the same time. Lita Judge relays the name of the dinosaur, what the dinosaur might have looked like, what it possibly ate and compares its size to an everyday object.

What also makes this book interesting is the fold out pages in the back of the book. On a four page fold out, it compares the size of each dinosaur listed in the book to each other as well as some well known objects such as people, dogs, cows and elephants. There is also a page that describes how Lita Judge found her information and how it is reliable in the form of an easy to read bibliography.

Conclusion

How Big Were Dinosaurs? is a fantastic addition to an elementary library’s informational collection of dinosaur books. This book would be enjoyed by young and old for those who love dinosaurs and wish to learn more about their size. How Big Were Dinosaurs? is positively recommended for an introduction to a lesson about prehistoric animals.

Citation

Judge, L. (2013). How big were dinosaurs? Roaring Book Press.