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brandysith's review against another edition
5.0
This was just amazing. Not only was it informative, but it was also fun with great art and several pop-culture references (I mean, you can't really have a dinosaur book without mentioning Jurassic Park). It's a juvenile level book, but it doesn't talk down to kids and it doesn't feel like it's meant for kids (reading it as an adult).
driedfrogpills's review against another edition
4.0
I wish a copy of this was in every science classroom. A pretty comprehensive - if brief - overview of the history of dinosaur digs, the bones found and the scientists who made the discoveries. I feel like I learned more about the most recent dinosaur theories and facts than I ever did growing up. I also love that the authors don't shy from discussing how petty some scientists can be and have been.
(Also the last page vindication of the Brontosaurus made me laugh. Even though the authors claim it's their least favorite, as a kid it was my absolute fave so having the addendum added was a delight to my inner seven-year-old.)
(Also the last page vindication of the Brontosaurus made me laugh. Even though the authors claim it's their least favorite, as a kid it was my absolute fave so having the addendum added was a delight to my inner seven-year-old.)
haia_929's review against another edition
2.0
This is a trimmed down version of my review, to view the full review visit The Book Ramble.
Science Comics is a new series from First Second introducing various science topics to kids in a fun easy to read graphic novel format. This particular book follows the history of the study of dinosaurs from the beginning to just last year. The text is paired with adorable illustrations of dinosaurs and pop culture references.
I was so excited for this series when I first heard about it, I delved right in the second I got it, and boy was I disappointed. This book was a mess! There's a throughline in this book, a history, a map - and the book can hardly stick to it. Reed dumps all kind of extra unnecessary information throughout the book that was distracting, made me lose focus, and really took away from the overall historical narrative. The one thing I'll give this book is that the art was amazing.
The book tackles a really long stretch of history in about 100 pages, that's incredibly ambitious. I think they didn't give themselves the room needed to really delve into most of what they tried, unsuccessfully to delve into. There were tangents scattered throughout the book that really took away from the overall narrative of the study of dinosaurs, and really added a lot of confusion. To me it just felt like they were trying so hard to cram so much in, and the pacing was weird and forced because of it. If I was a kid reading this I would have been lost so quickly because nothing was properly explained
The art was gorgeous. That was really the thing that made up for the writing to some extent. The art was clean and simple, the illustrations looked like what I remembered learning as a kid, there were some great visual gags too. Some of the flowchart kind of stuff was incredibly difficult to follow though, and that paired up with the writing just made the book seem even more of a mess.
I wanted so badly to love this book, but I couldn't get into it at all. I was so frustrated when I was done reading it. I would not recommend this.
Science Comics is a new series from First Second introducing various science topics to kids in a fun easy to read graphic novel format. This particular book follows the history of the study of dinosaurs from the beginning to just last year. The text is paired with adorable illustrations of dinosaurs and pop culture references.
I was so excited for this series when I first heard about it, I delved right in the second I got it, and boy was I disappointed. This book was a mess! There's a throughline in this book, a history, a map - and the book can hardly stick to it. Reed dumps all kind of extra unnecessary information throughout the book that was distracting, made me lose focus, and really took away from the overall historical narrative. The one thing I'll give this book is that the art was amazing.
The book tackles a really long stretch of history in about 100 pages, that's incredibly ambitious. I think they didn't give themselves the room needed to really delve into most of what they tried, unsuccessfully to delve into. There were tangents scattered throughout the book that really took away from the overall narrative of the study of dinosaurs, and really added a lot of confusion. To me it just felt like they were trying so hard to cram so much in, and the pacing was weird and forced because of it. If I was a kid reading this I would have been lost so quickly because nothing was properly explained
The art was gorgeous. That was really the thing that made up for the writing to some extent. The art was clean and simple, the illustrations looked like what I remembered learning as a kid, there were some great visual gags too. Some of the flowchart kind of stuff was incredibly difficult to follow though, and that paired up with the writing just made the book seem even more of a mess.
I wanted so badly to love this book, but I couldn't get into it at all. I was so frustrated when I was done reading it. I would not recommend this.
abigailbat's review against another edition
3.0
This entry in the Science Comics series looks at dinosaurs and those who have studied them. I appreciate that it emphasizes the fact that scientists were certain about lots of facts that ended up being incorrect and the discoveries and work going on to learn more and more about our world. I found the organization of the book and the artwork to be confusing at some points. This would be a good read for kids who already know dinosaur basics and who are interested in the history of dinosaur discoveries.
jbrooxd's review against another edition
4.0
Fascinating history of dinosaur discoveries and paleontology.
kylemfox's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent book. Just finished reading with my son and it was a great way to stimulate learning via a comic book format. I would recommend any of the books in this series to people with children. This book was also nominated for an Eisner award due to the excellent art. Very pleased!
libscote's review against another edition
2.0
I found it to have too much jargon for my taste (and too jumpy) but I bet your dinosaur-obsessed friend will love it!
poetryfreak38's review against another edition
4.0
I am a big fan of the Science Comics series. I think it is a great way to get informational text into the hands of kids. I really liked the Dinosaur addition to this series. I did think it was a bit confusing becauce of the amount of informatin. I wish they had included a time line with all the people they bring up. I loved the illistrations and the information presented. I learned a lot about who found specific dinos and their work. Great book for upper elementary and middle grades.
theartolater's review against another edition
4.0
Closer to a 3.5.
I'll never stop being impressed that publishers are willing to go the graphic nonfiction route, and that this might draw in fans of both dinosaurs and graphic novels to different ideas is worth it on both. This a very top down view more on the history of dinosaur discovery than anything else, complete with old-style cornball jokes and such along the way.
Great for libraries and schools, maybe not so much for the dinosaur-loving kid who is probably digging bigger, more informative books on a whole.
I'll never stop being impressed that publishers are willing to go the graphic nonfiction route, and that this might draw in fans of both dinosaurs and graphic novels to different ideas is worth it on both. This a very top down view more on the history of dinosaur discovery than anything else, complete with old-style cornball jokes and such along the way.
Great for libraries and schools, maybe not so much for the dinosaur-loving kid who is probably digging bigger, more informative books on a whole.