Dinosaur Empire! (Earth Before Us #1): Journey through the Mesozoic Era - Hardcover

Howard, Abby

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1419723065 ISBN 13: 9781419723063

Publisher: Abrams Fanfare, 2017

Synopsis

Ronnie is just a normal fifth-grader trying to pass her science class’s impossible quiz on the history of dinosaurs . . . until she happens upon her neighbor—Ms. Lernin—a retired paleontologist. With the assistance of Science Magic, Ronnie and Ms. Lernin travel back through time and space to experience the Mesozoic Era firsthand. They visit three important time periods in the development of the Mesozoic Era: the Triassic, the Jurassic, and the Cretaceous. Along the way, Ronnie finds herself face-to-face with real-life dinosaurs and reptiles, like stegosauruses, velociraptors, and thalattosaurs. With the help of her neighbor’s trusty knowledge of prehistoric times, she learns the differences between herbivores, carnivores, and omnivores, as well as between dinosaurs, insects, and reptiles. This insightful and informative graphic novel uses engaging art to bring facts to life, giving kids the tools to understand the evolution of these prehistoric creatures and the important effects this era had on our world today.
 

About this title

About the Author:

Abby Howard is the creator of the comic website Junior Scientist Power Hour. Before becoming a full-time artist, Howard studied evolutionary biology at McGill University, where her deep interest in dinosaurs was born.
 

From School Library Journal:

Gr 4–6—An in-depth look at dinosaurs, geography, and evolution, presented through an appealing framing device. After Ronnie fails her dinosaur quiz, she travels back in time with her neighbor Miss Lernin, a paleontologist, for a firsthand lesson. The two visit four different time periods: the late Triassic, the late Jurassic, the "early-ish, almost middle Cretaceous," and the late Cretaceous. Miss Lernin educates Ronnie on the geography, climate, vegetation, and animal life of each era. Howard details characteristics of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures, covers similarities and differences among different species, and offers information on evolution, convergent evolution, and mutations. Names of species are in bold print and accompanied by a phonetic pronunciation. The simple, cartoon-style color illustrations are detailed enough to indicate differences among species. The conversation between Miss Lernin and Ronnie is fairly easy to follow, but the inclusion of a calendar between different eras to indicate the passing of time may be confusing, as each "day" represents millions of years. The last few pages include "Cool Animals from Other Times" and a drawing of a scientific family tree. VERDICT A great addition to graphic novel or dinosaur collections.—Tamara Saarinen, Pierce County Library, WA

About this edition

• Publisher: Abrams Fanfare
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1419723065
• ISBN 13: 9781419723063
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 128