Review by Booklist Review
Gr. 3-5. Let's face it. For many kids, much of dinosaurs' appeal stems from the way that they could attack each other with fearsome bodily weapons. Johnson's book celebrates this aspect of the great beasts by numerically rating dinosaurs according to their strength, armor, speed, agility, scariness, and special skills. Each dinosaur is given a nickname, reminiscent of pro wrestlers. Thus, Apatosaurus 0 is pegged "Crusher," and Iguanodon0 becomes "The Jabber." Every few pages, readers are treated to an account of a dinosaur fight, usually with a well-armored plant eater trying to stave off a fearsome predator. Despite the gimmicks, a lot of information is imparted, and the book is loaded with appealing full-color illustrations. A final note about theories of dinosaur extinction and a glossary conclude a title that is sure to be appreciated by many dinosaur fans. --Todd Morning Copyright 2005 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
Gr 4-7-In a WWF smack-down format, Johnson presents a series of colorful confrontations. After delineating a spectrum of era-based "combat zones," she goes on to enumerate individual "assets" (strength, agility, armor, etc.) and rated "danger levels" (ranging from a paltry 2.7 for Scutellosaurus "aka Studs" to a high of 8.5 for Tyrannosaurus "aka Rex"). The featured matches span the ages from Permian predinosaurian Moschops vs. Lycaenops through a Jurassic Kentrosaurus vs. Allosaurus bout to a late Cretaceous battle between T. rex and Triceratops. In between these face-offs is a roster of would-be contenders, complete with realistic illustrations, vital statistics, distinguishing features, "combat histories," and "asset ratings." Included are marine reptiles, pterosaurs, crocodilians, and chelonians as well as the star players. Full of informative tidbits in explanatory captions and brief paragraphs of text, eye-catching with its colorful illustrations, and enticing in its combative concept, this title is not for the demander of in-depth data. However, for the dinophile, it is absolute pin-power on the page.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
From its ferocious-looking cover onward, this will satisfy thrill-seeking dinosaur lovers. It also conveys a lot of scientific information by rating each dinosaur by its ""battle tactics"" of strength, armor, speed, agility, scariness, and special skills. Its only flaw is not making it clear when the facts presented are based on guesswork, as when it mentions Edaphosaurus's ""bloodred"" crest. Glos., ind. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
