Tyrannosaurus Rex Up Close

* Reviews *

The T. Rex: Every childs favorite dinosaur! And for good reason: It was a dinosaur of extremes. Dodson gleefully explains: Longer than a school bus and as tall as an elephant[, t]his predator could eat hundreds of pounds of meat in one meal! Its huge teeth were the size of bananas and were strong enough to smash bone. Its legs were ten feet long, while its short arms could not reach its mouth. The young T. Rex ate turtles crocodiles, or mammals. Grown-ups ate only other dinosaurs. Dodson explains that we dont know what color T. Rex was, but that science may someday find clues to tell us—and until then, we can imagine any color we want to! The sentences are short and direct, appropriate for beginning or reluctant readers, but the information doesnt feel dumbed down. The full-color, full-page watercolor illustrations are wonderful, showing the animals in their context without overwhelming with too much information. The short words to know glossary and pronunciation guide at the beginning is helpful, if a bit odd. For example, it tells us that dinosaurs had a special kind of hip without explaining how it was different. This book would be good for a classroom and also for pleasure reading. From the Zoom in on Dinosaurs! series., Children's Literature