Pterosaurs: Rulers of the Skies in the Dinosaur Age

By: Caroline Arnold

Genre: Informational Nonfiction

Age Range: 1st - 6th. This book is excellent for introducing Pterodactyls. Fantastic and beautiful illustrations along with accurate terminology make it entertaining for younger kids to learn about them and provides a decent read for older kids.

Content: The book explains what a Pterosaur is and various types found all over the world. It describes various physical features of them as a whole and then of individual species. It also stresses that what scientists know is based upon evidence and tested theories, not assumptions.

Organization: It begins with explaining what a Pterosaur is, when they lived, and then describes the different species based on location, physical features and diet.

Illustrations: By Laurie Caple. Mixed Media. The full page illustrations show beautifully what they Pterosaurs may have looked like with color and also shows very well the huge array of differences between them.

The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkings

By: Barbara Kelley

Genre: Biography

Age Range: 2nd - 4th. This can be used as an introduction to discussing dinosaurs and the process of trying to figure out what they look like. Also good for independent readers.

Content: This book is for children to peer into the life of the first man to construct enormous models of dinosaurs and how he did it. It shows his process of making models but also his reasons why he believed they looked like how he modeled them. It also shows what he went through in order to make his dream a reality.

Organization: Information is clearly presented appropriately for the audience in order from beginning to end. References are at the back of the book along with a glossary.

Illustrations: By Brain Selznick. Mixed media with pencil drawings, charcoal or chalk, and possible computer generation. They clarify what the author is writing and a re separate from the text allowing clear focus on each.