Dinosaur Tree
Grade 1-4?This attractive picture book is reminiscent of John Horner and James Gorman's Maia (Running, 1989) in format. Each full-page painting faces a page of text that explains the surrounding atmospheric, plant, and animal conditions as a tree grows in a Triassic forest. The tree's story starts 225 million years ago, and readers see it at 4 years, 50 years, 200 years, 300 years, 400 years, 500 years, and then the beginning of the end, or fossilization. Dinosaurs that lived at the time are pictured in their natural surroundings, and a little information is given about each one. It's a fascinating glimpse into the past. The luminous paintings cast off an eerie glow; they depict the Triassic continent called Pangaea and the land that is now the Painted Desert in Arizona. Henderson has done an excellent job of scientific storytelling, taking advantage of the action of nature in his clear, sparse descriptions and clean, powerful paintings to build drama. Allan Roberts's Fossils (Childrens, 1983) and Pat Lauber's Dinosaurs Walked Here and Other Stories Fossils Tell (Bradbury, 1987) do not have the same in-depth coverage as Henderson's book. A fascinating look into the past.?Susannah Price, Boise Public Library, IDCopyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.