Dinothesaurus

Florian, Douglas. Dinothesaurus. Simon and Schuster, 2009. ISBN978-1-4169-7978-4

Douglas Florian's Dinothesaurus is a colorful, fun way to learn about dinosaurs. Incorporating both facts and poetic meter and rhyme is a win for Florian. The poems are all short, rhythmic, and uncomplicated. Comparing dinosaurs to cranes and pondering the different ways these critters might use parts of their bodies and even wondering if there is an IguanoDONNA for the IguanoDON are the fun ways Florian present dinosaurs through the poetry. All the poems bring wonderful images of dinosaurs swinging clubs at the end of tails, slow-moving, and swimming through the pages of history and this book. The illustrations Florian includes in his book bring an intriguing visual design to the book. Overall, this book will appeal to all ages of both boys and girls.

In the library, I would use this book as an introduction to a unit on dinosaurs in a science class or before the class goes to a natural history museum. I would present the first poem in the book and choose a couple more based on the dinosaur skeletons that are available in the museum or that specifically address the curriculum of the dinosaur lesson. Here is the first poem, "The Age of Dinosaurs."

"The Age of Dinosaurs"

The dinosaurs

First lived outdoors

During the time Triassic.

While most died out,

Some came about

Later in the Jurassic.

Then they evolved,

As Earth revolved,

In times known as Cretaceous.

But now indoors

Great dinosaurs

Fill museum halls, spacious.