Bibliographic Data: Florian, Douglas. 2009. DINOTHESAURUS-PREHISTORIC POEMS AND PAINTINGS. New York, NY: Beach Lane Books. ISBN 978-1-4169-7978-4
Plot Summary / Poetry Theme:
Dinothesaurus is a book of poems written and illustrated by the unparalleled Douglas Florian. The poems are quippy, silly, and informative, and they always begin with helping the reader accurately pronounce the dinosaur names properly. Fun and education collide in this book.
Critical Analysis:
This book is a fun, visually stunning, and informative read, exactly what one expects when purchasing a Florian book! I have had the great pleasure of reading two of his other books (Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars and my personal favorite, Beast Feast) and I knew that Dinothesaurus would be the same conglomeration of humor, fact, and beautiful illustration. His use of rhyme lends itself very easily to children being able to repeat the lines aloud, making for an easy way for them to actually learn the names while enjoying a poem. The visual imagery he conjures by skillfully comparing a dinosaur’s size to other objects (a tennis court for instance) really helps drive home the fact that they were massive creatures. The fact that he further adds a glossary, or “Glossarysaurus” truly makes this book perfect for leisure reading or as a companion to an elementary science class. The illustrations alone make his work absolutely fascinating and captivating. The paintings have a distinctly playful spirit, beautiful in a quiet simplicity that children and adults can immediately appreciate. The Spinosaurus illustration is my favorite.
Review:
Publisher’s Weekly- Florian's free-flowing, witty collection of poems and collages about dinosaurs is a giganotosaurus delight—perhaps his best work ever. The poems marry facts with a poet's eye for detail: the Brachiosaurus was longer than a tennis court and the Ankylosaurus says, We like spikes and we like scutes/ (Bony plates we wear as suits). Small experts will appreciate the Glossarysaurus at the end, but the heart of the book is in its humor, the spontaneity of both illustrations and poems, and Florian's slightly askew view of the Mesozoic creatures. A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton spews cutout images of things a T. rex might actually have eaten, along with a tumble of other things (newspaper clippings, a boot, a building), while the text ends with a great pun (I find it terrific/ That it's T-rex-tinct). The tiny (20-inch) Micropachycephalosaurus stares up at a huge display of his enormous name spelled out phonetically, in illuminated caps and as a rhombus. Art and text will encourage aspiring paleontologists and poets to parse these pages again and again. Ages 6–up. (Mar.)
Plot Summary / Poetry Theme:
Dinothesaurus is a book of poems written and illustrated by the unparalleled Douglas Florian. The poems are quippy, silly, and informative, and they always begin with helping the reader accurately pronounce the dinosaur names properly. Fun and education collide in this book.
Critical Analysis:
This book is a fun, visually stunning, and informative read, exactly what one expects when purchasing a Florian book! I have had the great pleasure of reading two of his other books (Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars and my personal favorite, Beast Feast) and I knew that Dinothesaurus would be the same conglomeration of humor, fact, and beautiful illustration. His use of rhyme lends itself very easily to children being able to repeat the lines aloud, making for an easy way for them to actually learn the names while enjoying a poem. The visual imagery he conjures by skillfully comparing a dinosaur’s size to other objects (a tennis court for instance) really helps drive home the fact that they were massive creatures. The fact that he further adds a glossary, or “Glossarysaurus” truly makes this book perfect for leisure reading or as a companion to an elementary science class. The illustrations alone make his work absolutely fascinating and captivating. The paintings have a distinctly playful spirit, beautiful in a quiet simplicity that children and adults can immediately appreciate. The Spinosaurus illustration is my favorite.
Review:
Publisher’s Weekly- Florian's free-flowing, witty collection of poems and collages about dinosaurs is a giganotosaurus delight—perhaps his best work ever. The poems marry facts with a poet's eye for detail: the Brachiosaurus was longer than a tennis court and the Ankylosaurus says, We like spikes and we like scutes/ (Bony plates we wear as suits). Small experts will appreciate the Glossarysaurus at the end, but the heart of the book is in its humor, the spontaneity of both illustrations and poems, and Florian's slightly askew view of the Mesozoic creatures. A Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton spews cutout images of things a T. rex might actually have eaten, along with a tumble of other things (newspaper clippings, a boot, a building), while the text ends with a great pun (I find it terrific/ That it's T-rex-tinct). The tiny (20-inch) Micropachycephalosaurus stares up at a huge display of his enormous name spelled out phonetically, in illuminated caps and as a rhombus. Art and text will encourage aspiring paleontologists and poets to parse these pages again and again. Ages 6–up. (Mar.)
Spotlight Poem:
Iguanodon
This book would be excellent for use in a science classroom to begin a series of lectures on dinosaurs. I am nearly 27 years old and had not heard of many of these!
Iguanodon
This book would be excellent for use in a science classroom to begin a series of lectures on dinosaurs. I am nearly 27 years old and had not heard of many of these!