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Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled: How do we know what dinosaurs really looked like?
No human being has ever seen a triceratops or velociraptor or even the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex. They left behind only their impressive bones. So how can scientists know what color dinosaurs were? Or if their flesh was scaly or feathered? Could that fierce T.rex have been born with spots? In a first for young readers, the Sibert medalist Catherine Thimmesh introduces the incredible talents of the paleoartist, whose work reanimates gone-but-never-forgotten dinosaurs in giant full-color paintings that are as strikingly beautiful as they aim to be scientifically accurate, down to the smallest detail. Follow a paleoartist through the scientific process of ascertaining the appearance of various dinosaurs from millions of years ago to learn how science, art, and imagination combine to bring us face-to-face with the past.
64 pages, Hardcover
First published October 1, 2013
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
January 12, 2015
The publisher's summary:
No human being has ever seen a triceratops or velociraptor or even the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex. They left behind only their impressive bones. So how can scientists know what color dinosaurs were? Or if their flesh was scaly or feathered? Could that fierce T.rex have been born with spots? In a first for young readers, the Sibert medalist Catherine Thimmesh introduces the incredible talents of the paleoartist, whose work reanimates gone-but-never-forgotten dinosaurs in giant full-color paintings that are as strikingly beautiful as they aim to be scientifically accurate, down to the smallest detail. Follow a paleoartist through the scientific process of ascertaining the appearance of various dinosaurs from millions of years ago to learn how science, art, and imagination combine to bring us face-to-face with the past.
My thoughts:
I have often found it useful to read children's books on subjects that interest me--the authors usually boil down the subject to its basics and present it very clearly. For the person-on-the-street, this is usually the most about a subject that they are interested in. I spent 17 years as a natural history educator and I have used kids' books effectively to prepare myself on a number of subjects.
Having said that, I was somewhat disappointed in this book. The art is all lovely, but some of it has been around for a while and used in other books. In my opinion, photos of the fossils, showing what it was that the artist observed that led to a certain depiction, would have been a great improvement. Perhaps I was expecting too much.
Having said that, if you have a budding dino artist in your family, you could do worse than to buy this book for him/her as an encouragement.
No human being has ever seen a triceratops or velociraptor or even the mighty Tyrannosaurus rex. They left behind only their impressive bones. So how can scientists know what color dinosaurs were? Or if their flesh was scaly or feathered? Could that fierce T.rex have been born with spots? In a first for young readers, the Sibert medalist Catherine Thimmesh introduces the incredible talents of the paleoartist, whose work reanimates gone-but-never-forgotten dinosaurs in giant full-color paintings that are as strikingly beautiful as they aim to be scientifically accurate, down to the smallest detail. Follow a paleoartist through the scientific process of ascertaining the appearance of various dinosaurs from millions of years ago to learn how science, art, and imagination combine to bring us face-to-face with the past.
My thoughts:
I have often found it useful to read children's books on subjects that interest me--the authors usually boil down the subject to its basics and present it very clearly. For the person-on-the-street, this is usually the most about a subject that they are interested in. I spent 17 years as a natural history educator and I have used kids' books effectively to prepare myself on a number of subjects.
Having said that, I was somewhat disappointed in this book. The art is all lovely, but some of it has been around for a while and used in other books. In my opinion, photos of the fossils, showing what it was that the artist observed that led to a certain depiction, would have been a great improvement. Perhaps I was expecting too much.
Having said that, if you have a budding dino artist in your family, you could do worse than to buy this book for him/her as an encouragement.
April 3, 2015
So, if we have never seen dinosaurs, how do we know what they look like? How did we come up with the vicious head and body of a T-Rex? This book explores how paleoartists have captured the images of dinosaurs we picture in our heads. We learn about how remains are found, and how they are reconstructed to give us the most accurate images of dinosaurs. We are able to explore how these images have changed over time as we have discovered new bones and fossils. When we find these remains, we can often use them to determine the muscles and the skin on each species. The biggest uncertainty these days in the imagery of dinosaurs is their colors. For the most part, scientist are still speculating what colors they may have been based on their closest relatives, as well as what their main purpose and habits were. This book has a lot of interesting information and great pictures to compliment the text. I especially liked that some pictures show a progression of how we have pictured certain species.
March 11, 2015
I've never really understood people's fascination with dinosaurs, so it's impressive that this book held my attention. I learned a ton and was pushed to think about dinosaurs in new ways. This is appropriate for upper elementary and middle school students and would make an excellent mentor text for scientific nonfiction. A tad long, so students will probably need support to stay on track and fully comprehend this detailed book.
March 14, 2015
I am fascinated with dinosaurs and I enjoy reading about them and finding out new facts, however, this book did not peak my interest. The layout was boring and the pictures did not add any excitement to the information. I was really disappointed with this one.
February 25, 2014
One Sentence Review: A question I've always wondered (and therefore, by extension, lots of kids everywhere) finally gets a succinct, smart answer from a master of children's nonfiction.
September 26, 2013
Richie's Picks: SCALY SPOTTED FEATHERED FRILLED: HOW DO WE KNOW WHAT DINOSAURS REALLY LOOKED LIKE? by Catherine Thimmesh, Houghton Mifflin, October 2013, 64p., ISBN: 978-0-547-99134-4
"Animals without backbones hid from each other, or fell down. Clambasaurs and oysterettes appeared as appetizers -- then came the sponges, which sucked up about ten percent of all life. Hundreds of years later, in the late Devouring Period, the fish became obnoxious. Trailerbites, Chickerbites, and Mosqwitoes collided aimlessly in the dense gas. Finally, tiny edible plants sprang up in rows -- giving birth to generations of insecticides and other small, dying creatures"
-- The Firesign Theater, from "We're All Bozos on this Bus"
"That 'old' look of the dinosaurs stemmed from the limited fossil evidence and a limited understanding of evolution. Not to mention the prevailing theories of the time: particularly that dinosaurs were cold-blooded and small-brained, like lizards -- sluggish with tails dragging.
"This interpretation defined dinosaurs for a hundred years or so. Then, during the Great Depression and World War II (1920s-40s), dinosaur research -- from new fossil discoveries to field studies to art restorations -- came to a virtual standstill.
"But dinosaur science came roaring back in the 1960s, and by 1975 there was a seismic shakeup in how dinosaurs were viewed.
"The conventional wisdom was flipped upside down: cold became warm; slow became fast; upright posture became horizontal.
"In 1975, paleontologist Robert Bakker argued that dinosaurs were not sluggish, tail-dragging, cold-blooded, lizard-like beasts but were really warm-blooded, active creatures.
"He made the case that most dinosaurs could sustain high activity levels and regulate their own body temperature. He presented compelling evidence and analysis for his theories...and instantly ignited a great scientific brouhaha."
I am always amazed by, and often talking about, the multitude of changes over the last half-century to which I have been witness and participant. The evolution from the black-and-white TV with 7 stations/Jim Crow/women as home makers/dawn of suburbia/early rock and roll world of the late fifties, which constitutes a central part of my early memories, to today's world, is so extreme in so many millions of ways that I cannot imagine a more quickly changing physical and cultural landscape than the one I've experienced.
And, yet, while it makes perfect sense that our scientific knowledge of what dinosaurs really looked like would evolve at an equally-mind blowing pace, it is nevertheless such a shock to realize that the vast majority of information stored in my brain from that first school field trip, fifty-something years ago, to see the dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History (at Central Park West and 79th Street in Manhattan), is as antiquated as the notion of spontaneous generation.
That field trip is still more memorable than any other I took as a child. I can still see the steam rising from manhole covers, see the nearby skyscrapers and smell the pretzels on vendors' carts being heated over galvanized buckets filled with glowing coals. And, then, I recall walking into that immense building with those creatures as tall as houses and several times as long.
We still see them as being big. But most everything else we know about them has since changed. Including: We were told back then that nobody could ever know what color dinosaurs were. But nowadays…
"Scientists identified this color by putting the dino feathers under a powerful electron microscope and looking for pigment-carrying structures called melanosomes, present in modern-day animals and particularly in bird feathers. Sinosauropteryz had loads of them."
It is such an important informational concept that is highlighted in this book: What is considered scientific "fact" is based upon current evidence, current technology tools, and the resulting interpretation. When the evidence and technology change, the interpretation necessarily results in new facts. Then, in this case, artists take these interpretations and render them in a form that shows us what dinosaurs (according to today's information) really looked like.
And while we are talking about art and change: As I was recalling my late-fifties childhood a few paragraphs back, I thought about a couple of my favorite books from my preschool days (back when it was called nursery school): SAM AND THE FIREFLY by P.D. Eastman and MULEY-EARS: NOBODY'S DOG by Marguerite Henry and Wesley Dennis. Go look at those two books -- at the technology of children's book production back then -- and then look at this science book for kids.
What an age we live in!
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
[email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/richie.parti...
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
"Animals without backbones hid from each other, or fell down. Clambasaurs and oysterettes appeared as appetizers -- then came the sponges, which sucked up about ten percent of all life. Hundreds of years later, in the late Devouring Period, the fish became obnoxious. Trailerbites, Chickerbites, and Mosqwitoes collided aimlessly in the dense gas. Finally, tiny edible plants sprang up in rows -- giving birth to generations of insecticides and other small, dying creatures"
-- The Firesign Theater, from "We're All Bozos on this Bus"
"That 'old' look of the dinosaurs stemmed from the limited fossil evidence and a limited understanding of evolution. Not to mention the prevailing theories of the time: particularly that dinosaurs were cold-blooded and small-brained, like lizards -- sluggish with tails dragging.
"This interpretation defined dinosaurs for a hundred years or so. Then, during the Great Depression and World War II (1920s-40s), dinosaur research -- from new fossil discoveries to field studies to art restorations -- came to a virtual standstill.
"But dinosaur science came roaring back in the 1960s, and by 1975 there was a seismic shakeup in how dinosaurs were viewed.
"The conventional wisdom was flipped upside down: cold became warm; slow became fast; upright posture became horizontal.
"In 1975, paleontologist Robert Bakker argued that dinosaurs were not sluggish, tail-dragging, cold-blooded, lizard-like beasts but were really warm-blooded, active creatures.
"He made the case that most dinosaurs could sustain high activity levels and regulate their own body temperature. He presented compelling evidence and analysis for his theories...and instantly ignited a great scientific brouhaha."
I am always amazed by, and often talking about, the multitude of changes over the last half-century to which I have been witness and participant. The evolution from the black-and-white TV with 7 stations/Jim Crow/women as home makers/dawn of suburbia/early rock and roll world of the late fifties, which constitutes a central part of my early memories, to today's world, is so extreme in so many millions of ways that I cannot imagine a more quickly changing physical and cultural landscape than the one I've experienced.
And, yet, while it makes perfect sense that our scientific knowledge of what dinosaurs really looked like would evolve at an equally-mind blowing pace, it is nevertheless such a shock to realize that the vast majority of information stored in my brain from that first school field trip, fifty-something years ago, to see the dinosaurs at the American Museum of Natural History (at Central Park West and 79th Street in Manhattan), is as antiquated as the notion of spontaneous generation.
That field trip is still more memorable than any other I took as a child. I can still see the steam rising from manhole covers, see the nearby skyscrapers and smell the pretzels on vendors' carts being heated over galvanized buckets filled with glowing coals. And, then, I recall walking into that immense building with those creatures as tall as houses and several times as long.
We still see them as being big. But most everything else we know about them has since changed. Including: We were told back then that nobody could ever know what color dinosaurs were. But nowadays…
"Scientists identified this color by putting the dino feathers under a powerful electron microscope and looking for pigment-carrying structures called melanosomes, present in modern-day animals and particularly in bird feathers. Sinosauropteryz had loads of them."
It is such an important informational concept that is highlighted in this book: What is considered scientific "fact" is based upon current evidence, current technology tools, and the resulting interpretation. When the evidence and technology change, the interpretation necessarily results in new facts. Then, in this case, artists take these interpretations and render them in a form that shows us what dinosaurs (according to today's information) really looked like.
And while we are talking about art and change: As I was recalling my late-fifties childhood a few paragraphs back, I thought about a couple of my favorite books from my preschool days (back when it was called nursery school): SAM AND THE FIREFLY by P.D. Eastman and MULEY-EARS: NOBODY'S DOG by Marguerite Henry and Wesley Dennis. Go look at those two books -- at the technology of children's book production back then -- and then look at this science book for kids.
What an age we live in!
Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.com
[email protected]
https://www.facebook.com/richie.parti...
Moderator http://groups.yahoo.com/group/middle_... http://slisweb.sjsu.edu/people/facult...
November 30, 2013
So it turns out that no one has ever actually seen a dinosaur. I know, I know, I'm as shocked as you are. But fortunately there are people called paleoartists, a word which means literally, I think, but I'm probably just making this up, “person who draws old things.” And these people get to sit around in their pajamas all day and get paid what I assume is real money to draw pictures and make models of T. Rex and friends.
I'm not sure how I managed to live a reasonably large number of years without knowing this. One possible explanation is that I'm a little dumb and unobservant. In any case, I'm kind of pissed off.
It's not that I could have put that information to good use professionally. The chickens (oh, how I hate them) all laugh at my stick figures. I am to artistic ability what Einstein was to personal grooming (don't feel bad for him, he had that whole math thing going on.)
I'm pissed because all the dinosaur books from my childhood were filled with lies! Okay, technically they weren't lies because nobody knew any better: People were stupid back then and couldn't help it.
Books portrayed dinosaurs as giant, lumbering, tail-dragging, cold-blooded dullards sporting unfashionable earth tones and dealing not very successfully with a lot of anger management issues. But thanks to new discoveries and research, we know that at least five of those things were wrong. I'm not saying which ones. You have to guess. Isn't science fun?
All of this brings me, in the most roundabout way possible, to the book that I am sort of reviewing: Scaly Spotted...well, whatever, it's a really long title.
From the appealing front cover to the copious bibliography, it conveys an impressive amount of fascinating information in an accessible format with well-chosen photographs and illustrations. Though ostensibly aimed at 4th - 7th graders, I think the length and terminology make it best suited for middle schoolers. However, it's deep enough for high schoolers and engaging enough for upper elementary kids (with maybe a little assistance). Note: It's also perfect for **cough** old(ish) people who lack the time, money and energy to return to school for a science degree that would help them understand all the unpronounceable words in a dense academic tome on the subject.
All told, it's a commendable survey of how paleontology has changed, what we have learned in recent decades and how that information has revolutionized our notions of what dinosaurs looked like.
Obviously it all starts when Scientists go out into the field to fight lions, catch malaria and say “Ooh, look, more dirt!” a lot as they collect and photograph specimens. But the meat of the story is how our pajama-clad paleoartist heroes use that information to make dinosaurs come alive.
Who knew that you could use not just fossils but tracks of dinosaur herds, impressions of dinosaur bodies and remnants of feathers to determine that our large friends held their tails off the ground, had non-overlapping scales (unlike lizards) and may have had not just feathers but brightly colored ones? Well, obviously Catherine Thimmesh knew. That's probably why she wrote the book. Also, the scientists who were not eaten by lions, they probably knew. But for the rest of us, this is good stuff.
My only criticism of the book, and the reason why it gets four stars, is the migraine-inducing graphic design. In far too many places, dark red type on a dark background was pure visual torture. After straining and squinting and holding the book at various angles, the red letters turned into indistinct squiggles; they might as well have been splashes of blood from my eyes because that's how bad it hurt. How, in a book about artists, could a graphic artist have approved this mess?
I assure you that when I finish my time machine, the person responsible will be “volunteered” to go back and procure video of honest to goodness dinosaurs. Then we will have no need of this book because we've already got pictures, and paleoartists will be unemployed and living under a bridge slathered in mediocre graffiti. I promise to feel bad about that.
I'm not sure how I managed to live a reasonably large number of years without knowing this. One possible explanation is that I'm a little dumb and unobservant. In any case, I'm kind of pissed off.
It's not that I could have put that information to good use professionally. The chickens (oh, how I hate them) all laugh at my stick figures. I am to artistic ability what Einstein was to personal grooming (don't feel bad for him, he had that whole math thing going on.)
I'm pissed because all the dinosaur books from my childhood were filled with lies! Okay, technically they weren't lies because nobody knew any better: People were stupid back then and couldn't help it.
Books portrayed dinosaurs as giant, lumbering, tail-dragging, cold-blooded dullards sporting unfashionable earth tones and dealing not very successfully with a lot of anger management issues. But thanks to new discoveries and research, we know that at least five of those things were wrong. I'm not saying which ones. You have to guess. Isn't science fun?
All of this brings me, in the most roundabout way possible, to the book that I am sort of reviewing: Scaly Spotted...well, whatever, it's a really long title.
From the appealing front cover to the copious bibliography, it conveys an impressive amount of fascinating information in an accessible format with well-chosen photographs and illustrations. Though ostensibly aimed at 4th - 7th graders, I think the length and terminology make it best suited for middle schoolers. However, it's deep enough for high schoolers and engaging enough for upper elementary kids (with maybe a little assistance). Note: It's also perfect for **cough** old(ish) people who lack the time, money and energy to return to school for a science degree that would help them understand all the unpronounceable words in a dense academic tome on the subject.
All told, it's a commendable survey of how paleontology has changed, what we have learned in recent decades and how that information has revolutionized our notions of what dinosaurs looked like.
Obviously it all starts when Scientists go out into the field to fight lions, catch malaria and say “Ooh, look, more dirt!” a lot as they collect and photograph specimens. But the meat of the story is how our pajama-clad paleoartist heroes use that information to make dinosaurs come alive.
Who knew that you could use not just fossils but tracks of dinosaur herds, impressions of dinosaur bodies and remnants of feathers to determine that our large friends held their tails off the ground, had non-overlapping scales (unlike lizards) and may have had not just feathers but brightly colored ones? Well, obviously Catherine Thimmesh knew. That's probably why she wrote the book. Also, the scientists who were not eaten by lions, they probably knew. But for the rest of us, this is good stuff.
My only criticism of the book, and the reason why it gets four stars, is the migraine-inducing graphic design. In far too many places, dark red type on a dark background was pure visual torture. After straining and squinting and holding the book at various angles, the red letters turned into indistinct squiggles; they might as well have been splashes of blood from my eyes because that's how bad it hurt. How, in a book about artists, could a graphic artist have approved this mess?
I assure you that when I finish my time machine, the person responsible will be “volunteered” to go back and procure video of honest to goodness dinosaurs. Then we will have no need of this book because we've already got pictures, and paleoartists will be unemployed and living under a bridge slathered in mediocre graffiti. I promise to feel bad about that.
Read
March 29, 2014Twin Text: Carnivores by Aaron Reynolds, @2013
Rationale: Carnivores is about a lion, shark, and wolf who get their feelings hurt because the other animals don’t like them. Why? because lion, shark and wolf keep eating them! So the three decide to go vegetarian. Try as they might they can’t stop eating meat and decide they aren’t bad, they are just carnivores! I would use this book with the nonfiction text to explain differences in tooth structure and eating habits of dinosaurs. While there are no dinosaurs in the text, the concept of meat eater is easily understood and should be able to transfer to dinosaurs. I would more than likely find another twin text about herbivores to help explain that type of dinosaur.
Text Structure: In my opinion, Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled has several text structures. There is some chronological sequence in regard to the artist’s renditions of old to the present because of some misconceptions and lack of evidence about dinosaurs. Another text structure would be cause and effect. In early years, artist’s renditions of dinosaurs were inaccurate because they didn’t have enough physical evidence to go on. As years of study went on, more evidence was found causing older renditions to be outdated and newer depictions to be more accurate. Probably the most prominent text structure in the book would be problem and solution. Throughout the book the author talks about the problems paleoartists have trying to accurately capture what dinosaurs looked like. It is all guesswork, but that guesswork is based in science which is described as using information from paleontologists, paleobotanists, and geologists.
Strategy application: This book is my intermediate book not because the readability is higher, but because the vocabulary is more suited for the intermediate levels. This could be a unit on dinosaurs, but could also be a unit on habitats, carnivore/herbivore, or other animal units. I would use two strategies for this book. First a K-W-L to gain incite into what they already know, what misconceptions they have, and what they want to learn. The unit would end on what they learned and perhaps correcting some of their misconceptions. There could also be a great discussion about misconceptions of the students and misconceptions of early paleoscientists and paleoartists. The other strategy I would use would be a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting carnivores and herbivores.
(2013, September/October). Horn Book. http://titlewave.com/search?SID=29fe4...
Rationale: Carnivores is about a lion, shark, and wolf who get their feelings hurt because the other animals don’t like them. Why? because lion, shark and wolf keep eating them! So the three decide to go vegetarian. Try as they might they can’t stop eating meat and decide they aren’t bad, they are just carnivores! I would use this book with the nonfiction text to explain differences in tooth structure and eating habits of dinosaurs. While there are no dinosaurs in the text, the concept of meat eater is easily understood and should be able to transfer to dinosaurs. I would more than likely find another twin text about herbivores to help explain that type of dinosaur.
Text Structure: In my opinion, Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled has several text structures. There is some chronological sequence in regard to the artist’s renditions of old to the present because of some misconceptions and lack of evidence about dinosaurs. Another text structure would be cause and effect. In early years, artist’s renditions of dinosaurs were inaccurate because they didn’t have enough physical evidence to go on. As years of study went on, more evidence was found causing older renditions to be outdated and newer depictions to be more accurate. Probably the most prominent text structure in the book would be problem and solution. Throughout the book the author talks about the problems paleoartists have trying to accurately capture what dinosaurs looked like. It is all guesswork, but that guesswork is based in science which is described as using information from paleontologists, paleobotanists, and geologists.
Strategy application: This book is my intermediate book not because the readability is higher, but because the vocabulary is more suited for the intermediate levels. This could be a unit on dinosaurs, but could also be a unit on habitats, carnivore/herbivore, or other animal units. I would use two strategies for this book. First a K-W-L to gain incite into what they already know, what misconceptions they have, and what they want to learn. The unit would end on what they learned and perhaps correcting some of their misconceptions. There could also be a great discussion about misconceptions of the students and misconceptions of early paleoscientists and paleoartists. The other strategy I would use would be a Venn diagram comparing and contrasting carnivores and herbivores.
(2013, September/October). Horn Book. http://titlewave.com/search?SID=29fe4...
April 6, 2015
Have you ever wondered how on earth we know what dinosaurs looked like? Catherine Thimmesh takes us from the early days when there were few fossils to modern times. She discusses the wide variety of things that paleoartists study ranging from the fossils themselves to modern animals and how they have to stay up on the latest finds. She also points out details in the various pieces of art work including:
*how do we know the dinosaurs traveled in groups (fossil foot prints)
*how do we know that they ran with their tails up off the ground (again with the foot prints)
*how do we know what facial expressions dino’s made (muscle evidence)
She also takes us through the history of dino knowledge and how that played into the art. You’ll note that I don’t list an illustrator above but that’s because there isn’t one illustrator in the book. Thimmesh has included the art work of many so that she can show us how the artwork has changed as our knowledge changed.
She includes historic images including Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins Iguanodon sketches. His dinosaurs look nothing like ours but that’s because of the scarce number of bones he had to study. Still, his sketches and other early art work fed into the popular enthusiasm for dinosaurs which funded additional discoveries which further educated the art work and so on.
She also explains why some early dinosaurs (remember the Brontosaurus) have disappeared.
From scale patterns to feathers and even coloration, Thimmesh demonstrates what we know and what is speculation on the part of the artist. This is the beauty of featuring the work of so many individuals. The reader gets to see how, using what we know right now, several artists have come up with different looks for the T. rex.
The book uses a picture book format combining words and texts. While preschoolers would appreciate the illustrations, the book is intended for readers aged 9 to 12. Young artists, scientists and dinosaur fans would all enjoy the in-depth look at this topic and in the classroom it would make a good jumping off point for discussions on science and how what we know changes over time.
Reviewed on Bookshelf (suebe2.wordpress.com).
*how do we know the dinosaurs traveled in groups (fossil foot prints)
*how do we know that they ran with their tails up off the ground (again with the foot prints)
*how do we know what facial expressions dino’s made (muscle evidence)
She also takes us through the history of dino knowledge and how that played into the art. You’ll note that I don’t list an illustrator above but that’s because there isn’t one illustrator in the book. Thimmesh has included the art work of many so that she can show us how the artwork has changed as our knowledge changed.
She includes historic images including Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins Iguanodon sketches. His dinosaurs look nothing like ours but that’s because of the scarce number of bones he had to study. Still, his sketches and other early art work fed into the popular enthusiasm for dinosaurs which funded additional discoveries which further educated the art work and so on.
She also explains why some early dinosaurs (remember the Brontosaurus) have disappeared.
From scale patterns to feathers and even coloration, Thimmesh demonstrates what we know and what is speculation on the part of the artist. This is the beauty of featuring the work of so many individuals. The reader gets to see how, using what we know right now, several artists have come up with different looks for the T. rex.
The book uses a picture book format combining words and texts. While preschoolers would appreciate the illustrations, the book is intended for readers aged 9 to 12. Young artists, scientists and dinosaur fans would all enjoy the in-depth look at this topic and in the classroom it would make a good jumping off point for discussions on science and how what we know changes over time.
Reviewed on Bookshelf (suebe2.wordpress.com).
Read
June 21, 2014Excellent non-fiction book. This book is so informative. I learned several new pieces of information reading this award winning book. Even though this is a picture book, I would definitely use it with upper elementary. It would be best used with at least fourth grade, but probably more appropriately suitable for fifth grade.
The vocabulary is excellent and advanced. This book would appeal to the scientists in your classroom.
I will be using Bloom's Taxonomy to assess learning after reading this book, instead of using the standard book report.
Remembering
Define: paleobotanists, paleoartist, and paleontologist.
Understanding:
Explain why scientist believe that dinosaurs did not drag their tails on the ground when they traveled.
Applying:
How is the Brontosaurus similar to the Apatosaurus?
Analyzing:
Conduct a survey of your classmates. Find out what their favorite dinosaur is. Graph the information, publish and display the graphs in the classroom.
Evaluating:
In your opinion what is the most effective resource/tool/technology scientist currently have available to them to draw conclusions about what the dinosaurs actually looked like?
Creating:
Using the information you learned from the scientist you read about in this book,construct a model of a dinosaur of your choice. The things science for sure can tell us have to be accurate details. The things we have yet to discover are open for your interpretation. When finished, write a one page paper about your dinosaur. Include the information you used to create your dinosaur that was scientific fact, and the information that you interpreted using your best scientific guess.
The content area cross-over would definitely be reading, language arts and science. The questions using Bloom's cross the curriculum from language arts to science. Also, some of the projects using Blooms to assess would be art projects. Of course, the study of dinosaurs is also a history lesson. (less)
31 minutes ago · delete
The vocabulary is excellent and advanced. This book would appeal to the scientists in your classroom.
I will be using Bloom's Taxonomy to assess learning after reading this book, instead of using the standard book report.
Remembering
Define: paleobotanists, paleoartist, and paleontologist.
Understanding:
Explain why scientist believe that dinosaurs did not drag their tails on the ground when they traveled.
Applying:
How is the Brontosaurus similar to the Apatosaurus?
Analyzing:
Conduct a survey of your classmates. Find out what their favorite dinosaur is. Graph the information, publish and display the graphs in the classroom.
Evaluating:
In your opinion what is the most effective resource/tool/technology scientist currently have available to them to draw conclusions about what the dinosaurs actually looked like?
Creating:
Using the information you learned from the scientist you read about in this book,construct a model of a dinosaur of your choice. The things science for sure can tell us have to be accurate details. The things we have yet to discover are open for your interpretation. When finished, write a one page paper about your dinosaur. Include the information you used to create your dinosaur that was scientific fact, and the information that you interpreted using your best scientific guess.
The content area cross-over would definitely be reading, language arts and science. The questions using Bloom's cross the curriculum from language arts to science. Also, some of the projects using Blooms to assess would be art projects. Of course, the study of dinosaurs is also a history lesson. (less)
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February 21, 2014
Popular topic and I like that they do a historic, changing perspective. The reader can see what people first thought dinosaurs looked like and then see what paleoartists believe they look like now, with more evidence. The evolution of how dinosaurs are pictured is quite interesting. "Movement with such a posture would have resulted in multiple fractures of the tail, hips, back and neck." "Conventional wisdom was flipped upside down: cold became warm; slow became fast; upright posture became horizontal." It took me a a while to read this since I am not a huge dinosaur fan and I didn't make it to the meeting.
August 11, 2016
1. Fiction Twin Text: Title: Skippyjon Jones and Big Bones, Author: Judy Schachner, Copyright: 2007
2. Rationale: These books both talk about and include different kinds of dinosaurs in the selection. Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled provides questions and answers about different dinosaurs and how they have determined what they really looked like, since people never saw them. In Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones, Skippyjon goes on an adventure looking for dinosaurs, and it tells what he thinks they look like when he sees them on his adventure. He says some are feathered, spiky and frilled just like the title of the other book. I think these books tie in nicely together because the Nonfiction text explains what and how we learn things from research and the Fiction companion shows what many think or believe based on what they have seen or heard.
3. Text Structure/Strategy: The main text structures of Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled are description and question and answer. It asks questions about how researchers know what they do about dinosaurs and how they have learned these things without being alive when dinosaurs were, or actually seeing dinosaurs when they lived. It then answers questions with a very descriptive analysis of each question through the use of descriptive adjectives and pictures. The content reading strategies I would use would be to visualize images from the text before reading, by drawing an initial picture of what they think a dinosaur looks like from what they know from their prior knowledge and then compare and contrast their drawing to what Skippyjon thinks dinosaurs look like and then comparing how they are actually depicted in Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled.
4. Review Citation: (2013, October 1). School Library Journal. http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=7...
2. Rationale: These books both talk about and include different kinds of dinosaurs in the selection. Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled provides questions and answers about different dinosaurs and how they have determined what they really looked like, since people never saw them. In Skippyjon Jones and the Big Bones, Skippyjon goes on an adventure looking for dinosaurs, and it tells what he thinks they look like when he sees them on his adventure. He says some are feathered, spiky and frilled just like the title of the other book. I think these books tie in nicely together because the Nonfiction text explains what and how we learn things from research and the Fiction companion shows what many think or believe based on what they have seen or heard.
3. Text Structure/Strategy: The main text structures of Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled are description and question and answer. It asks questions about how researchers know what they do about dinosaurs and how they have learned these things without being alive when dinosaurs were, or actually seeing dinosaurs when they lived. It then answers questions with a very descriptive analysis of each question through the use of descriptive adjectives and pictures. The content reading strategies I would use would be to visualize images from the text before reading, by drawing an initial picture of what they think a dinosaur looks like from what they know from their prior knowledge and then compare and contrast their drawing to what Skippyjon thinks dinosaurs look like and then comparing how they are actually depicted in Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled.
4. Review Citation: (2013, October 1). School Library Journal. http://www.titlewave.com/search?SID=7...
April 26, 2016
This picture book starts off by questioning the reading on the validity of how we understand dinosaurs today. If humans were not around to see them, how do we know that color they were, what their skin felt like were there feathers? Or were there scales? The illustrations in this book are done in paint and they are beautifully done as well as scientifically accurate. This book has the reader follow along with a paleoartist through the scientific process to understanding and discovering the appearance of dinosaurs from millions of years ago. This book does not focus specifically on the bone structure or muscle placement rather, what colors they were and what their flesh was, scales or feathers. I chose to discuss this book because my grandfather was a paleontologist as well as a teacher and I always read dinosaur books with him and he would teach me all about the bones and where the best digging sights were but we never discussed the appearance of the dinosaurs and I don't think many students do, they base their information on what they have seen in movies, pictures, museums, ect. This book is a great book explaining why we have come up with the appearance we have today. It is a longer book and could be used in a week read aloud where teachers read a little bit of the book each day through out the week. I would definitely have this book in my library for those students who would like to pay a little more attention to the illustrations! The accuracy of the book is good, from what I understand it is pretty factual. The organization of the book is good, shows how they get to where they are on the appearance of the dinosaurs. The design is impeccable. Very accurate and down to the smallest detail while still being beautifully done in painting.
April 11, 2014
Twin Text: Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House, No. 1) by Mary Pope Osborne
This twin text is a little bit long of a book for the age group I plan to be working with; however, I would maybe read the book or parts to the class or suggest the twin text nonfiction book above to a student who has read this short chapter book. I like these two books together because the Dinosaurs Before Dark book or books gives you an imaginative story of young children that my students could relate to. These fiction books are also full of facts and fiction about dinosaurs. This is just one theory of what dinosaurs look like and they can compare the fiction to the nonfiction book to see the similarities and differences between the two. Both books encourage children to use their imagination. The nonfiction helps children imagine what dinosaurs may have looked like and what they did. The fiction book does the same but also has students imagine they are on the journey with these kids in the book. Many activities could be put with this book such as simply having students draw what they think a dinosaur looks like or taking the children to the zoo and have them go to the new exhibit of the dinosaurs!
This twin text is a little bit long of a book for the age group I plan to be working with; however, I would maybe read the book or parts to the class or suggest the twin text nonfiction book above to a student who has read this short chapter book. I like these two books together because the Dinosaurs Before Dark book or books gives you an imaginative story of young children that my students could relate to. These fiction books are also full of facts and fiction about dinosaurs. This is just one theory of what dinosaurs look like and they can compare the fiction to the nonfiction book to see the similarities and differences between the two. Both books encourage children to use their imagination. The nonfiction helps children imagine what dinosaurs may have looked like and what they did. The fiction book does the same but also has students imagine they are on the journey with these kids in the book. Many activities could be put with this book such as simply having students draw what they think a dinosaur looks like or taking the children to the zoo and have them go to the new exhibit of the dinosaurs!
March 26, 2014
This book is highly specialized and technical for the paleontology enthusiast. The author, Catherine Thimmesh, returns to the early days of paleoartistry—creating images of prehistoric creatures based on scientific evidence—and the continuous changes inspired by ongoing discoveries of new fossils and other evidence. While this is a picture book, the images (which include early interpretations, raw sketches, and photographs of skeletons and artistic sculptures) are of great importance to paleontology and are intriguing to science and art enthusiasts alike. The book helps answer a lot of questions about how and why paleoartists use evidence to determine the exact features of a given dinosaur. I was particularly intrigued by the text on how to decide what color was a given dinosaur—the answer is surprising. Useful features are added to the book, including a timeline between 230 – 65 million years ago, an “About the Artists” page, Selected Sources, a Glossary, and a taxonomic break down of the major dinosaur groups. This book would be a great selection for independent reading for an interested older student in the middle school grades.
July 27, 2014
Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled: How do we know what dinosaurs really looked like? talks about paleoscientists and paleoartists and how they come to the conclusion of what dinosaurs looked like. The book compares pictures of dinosaurs that were drawn over a hundred years ago to the pictures of dinosaurs drawn currently. The book describes the science that goes into the pictures the paleoartist of today paints. The artist will surround himself with all the information that the paleoscientists have gathered and draw the known. Then the paleoartist will have to use his imagination to fill in the blanks.
The twin book I would use for this book would be When Dinosaurs Came With Everything by Elise Broach. This is a cute book about a young boy who is upset that he has to go with his mom to run boring errands, again. That is until he finds out he can get a free dinosaur every place that they go! I picked this book because I thought the kids could compare the dinosaurs in the pictures and decide if they had more characteristics of the old or new versions of the same dinosaurs from the book Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled. And it is a fun book to read.
The twin book I would use for this book would be When Dinosaurs Came With Everything by Elise Broach. This is a cute book about a young boy who is upset that he has to go with his mom to run boring errands, again. That is until he finds out he can get a free dinosaur every place that they go! I picked this book because I thought the kids could compare the dinosaurs in the pictures and decide if they had more characteristics of the old or new versions of the same dinosaurs from the book Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled. And it is a fun book to read.
February 28, 2015
Nonfiction Text: "Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled: How do we know what dinosaurs really looked like?", 0547991347 copyright 2013. Although no one has actually ever seen a real live dinosaur, we have developed a lot of ideas about what they looked like, how they acted, and even what they ate. The text "Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled: How do we know what dinosaurs really looked like?" details how scientists have made these discoveries, who made them, and why in a way that utilizes creative language and excellent pictures. This book appeals to young readers, and pairs well with the twin text "Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs" by Sandra Boynton. This text is a silly book that pretends that dinosaurs exist in another universe, where they work as opposites, play volleyball, and teach about opposites and colors. However, it does portray dinosaurs inaccurately, and for that reason pairs well with the aforementioned nonfiction text. The nonfiction book provides accuracy while the fiction text provides the fun!
April 28, 2015
The book describes how and when dinosaur fossils were first discovered and how an understanding of dinosaurs and what they looked developed. Through a combination of science, artistic abilities and interpretation we have an idea of what dinosaurs looked like and why. The book is organized into sections that both summarize the information and allow for readers to follow along easier. After a short introduction the book discusses how dinosaur trackways and fossils were the starting to point to deciphering what they looked like and why. The way that their skin left impressions in mud and sediment was also a large factor. Scales and feathers can be further dissected by comparing them to living ancestors, such as reptiles and various kinds of birds! With a final section stating that our knowledge of dinosaurs is indeed backed up by scientific information, there is still a lot of undiscovered information. I know that this book will appeal to a lot of young readers, especially boys! Not only is the book interesting but it is also packed with information.
November 4, 2013
I'm wavering between a 4 and a 5 on this one. The writing and illustrations have great appeal, and I found myself mesmerized as I read this informative text. Anyone interested in dinosaurs--no matter how old he/she might be--will be fascinated by this title. Accompanied by colorful illustrations from paleoartists who rely on fossils and accompanying evidence to flesh out what dinosaurs might have looked like, the text describes how today's scientists and artists have revised early notions of what dinosaurs looked like. While much of their work is still only conjecture, it is closer to what the truth might have been than the first renditions of dinosaurs. Most intriguingly, the author recounts how some of the artists eventually incorporated feathers in many of the dinosaurs they replicated. This is fascinating stuff, especially since there is no way to know just how accurate these depictions are. This one should be required reading in late elementary and middle grade classrooms.
February 6, 2016
Nonfiction/ Twin Text Entry #3
This narrative nonfiction book is very informative and very well illustrated about dinosaurs. The author, Catherine Thimmesh, does an incredible job answering the question "How do we know what dinosaurs really looked like?" through her brilliant use of timelines, diagrams, and colorful pictures.
Thimmesh's book about dinosaurs can be easily paired with the first book in the Magic Tree House series, Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne. In this fiction book, Jack and Annie are magically taken to the prehistoric past where they learn all about dinosaurs.
Both of these books are best suited for the intermediate grade levels because of their advanced vocabulary. Because of their common theme of dinosaurs, the dinosaur fan will love both of these books. They will enjoy learning about dinosaurs and how scientists discover more about these mysterious creatures.
This narrative nonfiction book is very informative and very well illustrated about dinosaurs. The author, Catherine Thimmesh, does an incredible job answering the question "How do we know what dinosaurs really looked like?" through her brilliant use of timelines, diagrams, and colorful pictures.
Thimmesh's book about dinosaurs can be easily paired with the first book in the Magic Tree House series, Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne. In this fiction book, Jack and Annie are magically taken to the prehistoric past where they learn all about dinosaurs.
Both of these books are best suited for the intermediate grade levels because of their advanced vocabulary. Because of their common theme of dinosaurs, the dinosaur fan will love both of these books. They will enjoy learning about dinosaurs and how scientists discover more about these mysterious creatures.
October 7, 2013
What a fascinating read! I've long wondered exactly what an artist does when asked to portray something that nobody has ever seen. This book beautifully explains the ideas and strategies that paleoartists use to depict dinosaurs. As I've long thought, it's a combination of science and educated guesses followed up by corrections as new knowledge becomes available. The author gives a brief history of dinosaur art starting with the work of B.W. Hawkins up to the present day. The artwork included in the book is amazing and comes from the either historical artists or the artists that the author interviewed for the book. I also appreciated the information on each of the different artists and their knowledge and experiences. A fascinating book for those who are fascinated by dinosaurs or by art or both.
October 9, 2013
What did dinosaurs really look like? Here, paleoartists take readers through their research and how that helps them decide how to realistically recreate pictures of dinosaurs.
From skeletal framework to scales and feathers to the biggest speculation artists still make, color, this book gives readers much to think about regarding the illustrations of dinosaurs they've viewed.
I could not put this book down. Many big name paleoartists are featured in this book with very informative/thought-provoking quotes. Artwork included allows readers to see how artists made changes based on new evidence and how the same dinosaur looks different depending on the hand depicting it. Back matter includes: bios about the artists, selected sources, a glossary, and an index.
Highly recommended for grades 5-8.
From skeletal framework to scales and feathers to the biggest speculation artists still make, color, this book gives readers much to think about regarding the illustrations of dinosaurs they've viewed.
I could not put this book down. Many big name paleoartists are featured in this book with very informative/thought-provoking quotes. Artwork included allows readers to see how artists made changes based on new evidence and how the same dinosaur looks different depending on the hand depicting it. Back matter includes: bios about the artists, selected sources, a glossary, and an index.
Highly recommended for grades 5-8.
July 3, 2014
The topic brought this up to three stars. Because what a cool topic! How DO we know what dinosaurs looked like? In pictures, models, and more, artists take what information is available and then fill in the rest with science! However, I found the text to be...overwhelming? too detailed? more than needed? It got to the point where I started to skim because I wanted the concepts on a more basic level, probably because it's about dinosaurs and the kids who come to my library looking for dinosaur books are younger than this book is targeting. I'd give this to 3rd grade and over, but those kids looking for dinosaur books are usually under 1st grade. So a totally interesting topic, but not sure how well this will do in my library as it seems to be written for older kids.
Recommendation level: Meh, but really cool ideas. Grades 3 and up.
Recommendation level: Meh, but really cool ideas. Grades 3 and up.
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June 20, 2014The book I chose to relate to this non-fiction book is called Tyrannosaurus Wrecks by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen with a copyright date of 2014. I chose these two books because a lot of kids wants to know about dinosaurs, what they looked like, and what they did. This non-fiction book explains in detail about the different types of dinosaurs and what they do. I related this fiction book to this because in Tyrannosaurus Wrecks, it talks about what the different dinosaurs do inside the classroom. They don't do normal dinosaur things, but it shows that they each have their own job to do. It also talks about how the tyrannosaurus just wrecks everything. They try to teach him to do other things and ask him to stop, but all he wants to do is wreck things. I thought these would be good books for children to learn that we all have a specialty about us.
December 14, 2013
It's hard to find a young child who is not fascinated by dinosaurs, and even those who've outgrown an obsession hold a tender spot in their hearts for that first love. This comprehensive analysis of some of the latest scientific information on dinosaurs (2013) also provides clear analysis of how discoveries/corrections continue to be developed in this field.
The relatively dense and challenging text provides excellent content for applying close reading, including scientific drawings, timelines, back matter, and diagrams. Despite all that, even the youngest dino-lovers will be fascinated by the illustrations and can gain ground in understanding if this is shared as a read-aloud.
Author Catherine THimmesh is a Sibert Medalist and this offering matches or exceed previous work, IMO.
The relatively dense and challenging text provides excellent content for applying close reading, including scientific drawings, timelines, back matter, and diagrams. Despite all that, even the youngest dino-lovers will be fascinated by the illustrations and can gain ground in understanding if this is shared as a read-aloud.
Author Catherine THimmesh is a Sibert Medalist and this offering matches or exceed previous work, IMO.
March 16, 2019
I've been looking for more great readable nonfiction authors for my classroom and I'm so glad I found Catherine Thimmesh in the GR listopia.
This book explores a topic I have always wondered about. How do we know what dinosaurs really looked like? How much is just guess-work?
The author organizes the work by topic: scales, tails, skulls, color, feathers, etc and leans heavily on interviews with several major paleoartists (a new word for me). Their comments are helpful and I really enjoyed how their drawings had informative captions, explaining the research used to make each image. It was especially fascinating to see how our views of dinosaurs have changed as we've learned more about them over time.
This book explores a topic I have always wondered about. How do we know what dinosaurs really looked like? How much is just guess-work?
The author organizes the work by topic: scales, tails, skulls, color, feathers, etc and leans heavily on interviews with several major paleoartists (a new word for me). Their comments are helpful and I really enjoyed how their drawings had informative captions, explaining the research used to make each image. It was especially fascinating to see how our views of dinosaurs have changed as we've learned more about them over time.
May 17, 2014
Since dinosaurs couldn't take selfies, the artists who depict them have to figure out what they might have looked like in other ways. This book describes many of them, and shows a large variety of representations new and old.
I love all these wonderful illustrated science books coming out these days. This one explains the process very clearly, and the illustrations are well-connected to the text. There are a few sidebars, but they mostly don't interrupt the flow of the text. I do wish that the authors had considered digital artists as well as graphic artists, since most kids would probably be more interested in photo-like representations rather than natural-history-museum-like paintings, but maybe that's for another book.
I love all these wonderful illustrated science books coming out these days. This one explains the process very clearly, and the illustrations are well-connected to the text. There are a few sidebars, but they mostly don't interrupt the flow of the text. I do wish that the authors had considered digital artists as well as graphic artists, since most kids would probably be more interested in photo-like representations rather than natural-history-museum-like paintings, but maybe that's for another book.
January 30, 2017
This is the best book about dinosaurs written at the level of the middle school person that I have ever encountered. It is an honest (re)appraisal of the appearance of the dinosaurs with explanations and demonstrations of how the experts have altered their positions over time. Basic principles of biomechanics are used to explain how they had to walk and why even the larger ones were probably fairly fast afoot.
The growing consensus that many dinosaurs had feathers is also put forward, something that dramatically alters their appearance. Their ability to moderate their body temperature, allowing them to live in colder climates, is also explained.
While this book is officially a junior library guild selection, it is one that will further the education of adults as well.
The growing consensus that many dinosaurs had feathers is also put forward, something that dramatically alters their appearance. Their ability to moderate their body temperature, allowing them to live in colder climates, is also explained.
While this book is officially a junior library guild selection, it is one that will further the education of adults as well.
January 15, 2014
After having read paragraphs repeatedly, I can say, as someone who would not be categorized as a dinosaur fan, Scaly Spotted Feathered Frilled written by Catherine Thimmesh is a fantastic piece of nonfiction. Readers will feel the urge to get digging or at the very least to start researching, then sketching. The opening endpapers highlight the Mesozoic era and the closing endpapers feature three major dinosaur groups. At the conclusion of the work content is provided about each of the artists. A selected list of sources, glossary and index is included.
My full review: http://bit.ly/KjGpqp
My full review: http://bit.ly/KjGpqp
November 16, 2014
A great read for anyone interested in dinosaurs that answers "how do we know what they looked like?" Excellent pictures and drawings that showcase different eras & artists and cover everything from muscles to color to movement! More advanced readers would be able to tackle this on their own, especially with a great glossary, but the pictures and shorter passages would be great for reading aloud to less skilled readers. The inner covers also contain fantastic era & major dinosaur group references that are well suited to younger readers.
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