Sure you know that T-Rex was the meat-eating king and that brontosaurus munched on leaves, but what else was on the dino dining menu during the Mesozoic era? In this hilarious book, paleontologists reveal all! Meet the ‘vores: carnivores, piscivores, herbivores, insectivores, “trashivores,” “sunivores,” and omnivores like us. Readers will be surprised and inspired to learn about all the crazy stuff dinos ate and they’ll get insights into how scientists can tell which dinosaurs ate what just from looking at fossils! Journey through artist and author Hannah Bonner’s whimsical world to learn how the dinosaurs and their contemporaries bit, chewed, and soaked up their food. – Goodreads
Dining with Dinosaurs: A Tasty Guide to Mesozoic Munching Review
Dining with Dinosaurs: A Tasty Guide to Mesozoic Munching is a fun, educational read. Most little dinosaur lovers probably are aware of the terms carnivore and herbivore. Bonner uses those two words as a jump-off point to explain all the different ways plants and animals ate. From sunivores to trashivores, everything is in easy to understand terms for your little readavore.
Hannah Bonner does a great job of including all parts of the food web during the Mesozoic era. It’s only 48 pages long, but tons of information is on each page. There are tons of dinosaurs mentioned, but she educates readers on things like the plants from that era too. The different types of trees, the evolution of flowering plants, etc, are all touched upon.
The illustrations in Dining with Dinosaurs are simple and ‘friendly’, with little details that will make children laugh. There are also small things that illustrator snuck in here and there that will make adults laugh, too. (Ex: a menu that reads “Note: We serve only free range herbivores” at the bottom.) Done in what looks like colored pencil, they also depict the now accepted (feathered) representation of dinosaurs. There are also “Ask a Scientist” sections where paleontologists and coprolite experts answer a few questions.
Given that this book for readers who are ages 7 to 10, I think Hannah Bonner did a great job of striking just the right note in Dining with Dinosaurs. The book has a playful appearance but doesn’t slack on filling little heads with tons of information. The illustrations do a great job of reinforcing the text in a sometimes unconventional manner. It’s written simply enough that even the younger kids will able to understand at least most of what they read. But it’s also got enough information in it to keep older readers engaged too.
It’s not a book I’d necessarily recommend for children who are already reading a lot about dinosaurs. It would probably be too simple for them. However, for readers who are just now discovering an interest in the giants from our past, I’d definitely recommend it. Dining with Dinosaurs: A Tasty Guide to Mesozoic Munching is cute, fun, and informative.
Title: Dining with Dinosaurs: A Tasty Guide to Mesozoic Munching | Author: Hannah Bonner (site) | Publisher: National Geographic Kids | Pub. Date: 2016-9-20 | Pages: 48 | ISBN13: 9781426323409 | Genre: Kid’s Educational | Language: English | Rating: 5 out of 5 | Source: Received a copy from the publisher for review consideration.
My cousins are dinosaur obsessed and I’ve been keeping my eyes open for Christmas gifts – I always get them books. This may move to the top of the list!