Pteranodon: The Life Story of a Pterosaur
Grade 1-3-Using field studies of the modern albatross as a jumping off place, Ashby imagines the life of aPteranodonfrom its hatching to its successful mating years later. The simple text includes such dramatic moments as near-miss attacks by an unidentified raptor over land and anElasmosaurusat sea, the latter episode assuming that thePteranodoncould take off from the water. Wilson's colorful interpretations of the fossil record provide eye-catching images to enhance the narrative. Appended notes provide the reasoning behind the author's extrapolations on the pterosaur's life cycle and behaviors and the artist's bright palette. A global map of the Late Cretaceous Period and a glossary with a pronunciation guide are included. For those not ready for Caroline Arnold's broader, more detailedPterosaurs: Rulers of the Skies in the Dinosaur Age(Clarion, 2004) or Helen Sattler's handsomePterosaurs: The Flying Reptiles(HarperCollins, 1985, o.p.), this is an attractive and a rewarding look at the possibilities in a long-lost life history.-Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NYCopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.