Mary Loberg Walley

Back in 1968 when this was first published, this little pop-up book was probably a rather entertaining novelty -- an Xmas "stocking stuffer" for kids and adolescents. While it's been superseded over the years, it still has its charms. The images are somewhat primitive, and the great beasts are shown in muted colors of green and tan (in contrast to the highly imaginative color schemes of modern versions). Three "pop-up" images are included: a Tyrannosaurus attacking a Stegosaurus; a diorama of ichthyosaurs and plesiosaurs; and a brachiosaur wading in a swamp. Other images show forms familiar to the 7 year old aficionado, including sauropods, duckbills, and ankylosaurs, as well as ornitholestes and (to show that not all dinosaurs were giants) struthiomimus.

In its content, the book is quite dated, and includes many misconceptions. Among them are: that sauropods were too heavy to support their bodies on land and had to remain in the water; that pterosaurs didn't flap their wings (modern reconstructions have shown otherwise); and that pterosaurs, plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs were dinosaurs (actually, they were actually distant relatives to the dinosaurs). This book offers an amusing reminder of how much we've learned over the last 50 years. To the younger reader, it might be a good starting point, readily replaced by more recent works.… (mer)