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New Dinos by Shelley Tanaka

New Dinos by Shelley Tanaka, illustrated by Alan Barnard (Madison Press, 2002)

Ages 9-13

This is a fabulous book that updates kids on the latest dino-discoveries . They'll love being able to say things like, "Scientists now think the Velociraptor had hairlike feathers, not reptile scales."

Many kids will be surprised to learn that dinosaur science is still so exciting, with new species being discovered nearly every seven weeks. In the mid-to-late 1990's, scientists unearthed amazing finds - a fossilized dinosaur heart, dinosaur eggs with the embryos intact, and sauropod leg bones so big they were at first mistaken for tree trunks.

The writing has a snappy did'ja know pace, but may be too technical for a younger listener (though adults could scan it and report the fun facts and big numbers). The design and artwork complements the newsy feel, with headlined blocks of text artfully arranged around vivid color paintings of the dinosaurs and photos of the fossils.

There are thoughtful touches too, like a map showing where the big finds happened and a pronunciation guide.

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