Review by Booklist Review
Dinosaurs really hog all the attention when it comes to prehistoric beasts, but this guide gives the underrepresented their due. Vibrant collage-style illustrations show off many of history's nondinosaurs on two-page spreads. All are accompanied by four descriptive lines of rhyming text, some more successful than others, from the creature's perspective and the refrain, I am not a dinosaur. I am . . . Some of the creatures readers will meet include Dunkleosteus, the glyptodont, and Lestodon, and the more familiar saber-toothed cat, woolly mammoth, and pterosaur. (A few dinos do rear their heads for good measure.) While many books might wrap things up there, this continues with more scientific information on each animal, taking full advantage of its connection to New York City's American Museum of Natural History. An author's note on dinosaurs helps put when they lived, respectively, into perspective T. rex would have never met Stegosaurus, for instance. A succinct, illustrated time line concludes, placing all the prehistoric creatures into their respective geological periods or epochs. Lovely and informative.--Smith, Julia Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Ancient creatures use the declaration of the title to defiantly assert their non-dino status in a picture book distinguished by crisp, marble-textured graphics and lively rhymes, written in collaboration with the American Museum of Natural History. "My hunger for vegetables has no bounds./ I'm 10 feet long and 1,000 pounds!/ The Americas are where I explore.../ but-I am not a dinosaur," reveals a glyptodont, a large relative of the armadillo seen huffily chewing on a plant. Other featured animals include a woolly mammoth, pterosaur, and Neanderthal child; a helpful closing page reveals what does constitute a dinosaur, including their connection to modern-day birds. Ages 4-7. (Apr.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 3-Young dino-enthusiasts will love this new title that uses short, rhyming sentences to introduce some nondinosaur prehistoric creatures, including saber-toothed cats, woolly mammoths, and pterosaurs. Each spread highlights a beast based on skeletons from the fossil collection of the American Museum of Natural History, giving a brief introduction to the animal and an illustration of the creature as it may have appeared in its natural habitat. The book tries to clarify for budding paleontologists the differences between dinosaurs and nondinosaurs from prehistory. The rhymes are whimsical yet still informative. Beautiful cut-paper collage artwork features each prehistoric animal, often with a young one in tow, on a plain, bright background, filling the space and drawing the eye. Back matter includes a bit more material about each creature, as well as a time line that shows when each existed in relation to the others. The author also explains the technical definition of a dinosaur, which is helpful for understanding why some are not considered dinosaurs. VERDICT A lovely and enlightening introduction to prehistoric creatures and a welcome addition to any elementary collection on prehistoric creatures.-Jody Kopple, Shady Hill School, Cambridge, MA © Copyright 2016. 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
Each of eleven creatures describes its particularities (e.g., "I look just like an elephant / with fur and tusks so elegant"), but all conclude with a chastening "I am not a dinosaur!" (The non-elephant is a woolly mammoth.) While enjoying the tight riddle-rhymes and cut-paper art imbuing each creature with personality, readers may not realize they're learning something. More about the creatures is appended. Timeline. (c) Copyright 2017. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
