Pages

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

DINOSAURS- Lila Prap


Dinosaurs have been done, and done, and done, but here's a new book you have to check out. DINOSAURS is narrated by a family of chickens. At the beginning of the book, Mama Hen finds a book behind the barn. The book claims that chickens, are descendants of dinosaurs. The chicken family sets out to find out whether or not this is actually true.

The format of this book is really clever. Each page, beginning with the title page, has a chick just coming out of the egg. The chick is asking a question, e.g. "What does the word DINOSAUR mean?" The next two-page spread answers that question. The answer is contained in the heading. Around the left hand side and bottom, the family of chickens continues to question and converse about the topic Mama her baby chicks ask lots of questions. Papa Rooster is blustery and unbelieving. The right hand border of each page gives more detailed information. There is a large dinosaur, done mostly in shades of brown, green, gold, and blue (with a little of what appears to be almost like splatter painting- really interesting art) in the middle of each spread. A paragraph on the bottom of the right hand page gives information about that dinosaur. And then there's that little chick coming out of the egg, asking the question that leads the reader onto the next page…The back endpages give an actual timeline of how chickens might have evolved from dinosaurs.

A really clever treatment of dinosaurs. Great for teaching kids about the question/answer process of research. Kids are going to love this one!

No comments: