Authors: Dr. Jose Luis Carballido & Dr. Diego Pol
Illustrator: Florence
Gigena
Target Ages: 5
and up
Genre: Non-Fiction Picture
Book (Science)
Publisher Summary:
Join
paleontologists Jose Luis Carballido and Diego Pol on the adventure of a
lifetime, and learn all about how they uncovered more than 180 titanosaur bones
in the deserts of Argentina, forever changing our understanding of these
100-million-year-old creatures. After
excavating the skeletons of seven of these giant sauropods, Dr. Carballido and
Dr. Pol and their team transport them to a museum in Argentina, studied them,
replicated them, and built the biggest dinosaur skeleton the world has ever
seen! With information on how to keep fossils
from breaking, the secrets to a successful dinosaur dig, and just how much we
can really learn from a tooth, this book with not only delight dinosaur
lovers—it will inspire young scientists.
First Lines:
Early one summer
morning in a place called Patagonia, Argentina, a gaucho and his sheepdog left
their ranch to search for a lost sheep. After hours of searching, the gaucho
spotted something poking out of the dirt.
Evaluation:
From the mystery
of the unknown object sticking out and the unearthing of the bones to the
preparation for study and the finalize reconstruction, every event is a critical
puzzle piece in this compelling story.
Words and
concepts are defined outside of the storytelling to help educators and parents
explain text references. Budding paleontologists
and future scientists will be drawn to the fascinating facts about dinosaurs,
archeology, teamwork, and research.
Florence Gigena’s
artwork perfectly adds to the storytelling and concept building. Photographs from the dig and study are
interspersed with Gigena’s stunning replication of the events. When a bone is discovered, it is highlighted
in a drawing of the dinosaur to give context. Other times she adds pictures to
help visualization, such as comparing the dinosaur’s neck to a school bus or
the length of the femur bone to the size of a person.
Young readers
(and older ones too) will immediately be swept in as this real dinosaur
discovery unfolds! Titanosaur: Discovering the World’s Largest Dinosaur is a must-read
for ages 5 and up.
Activities and Extension Ideas for Lesson
Plans:
Picture Book Connections:
This delightful
book highlights the unique bones of different species. Young readers are
encouraged to guess which dinosaur they belong to. The answer, and some fast
facts about it, are revealed on the next page.
Brown was an early
paleontologist whose many discoveries led scientists to a greater understanding
of dinosaurs and people to a greater fascination of these prehistoric
creatures.
Dinothesaurus
This children’s poetry
collection celebrates dinosaurs.
I've read Dinothesaurus & like all Florian's books, it is wonderful. But really want to say thank you for Tintanosaur. It's new to me and oh my, that picture of the bone with the man lying aside it, wow! Hard to imagine! I have two granddaughters who will love this. We have fun visiting all the 'dinosaurs' at our museum & sometimes talking to scientists who are cleaning up new finds. This will be a good one to ask them about. I imagine they know the discovery. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI hope your granddaughters enjoy it!
DeleteGreat review and I like your book pairings. I look forward to reading this one. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, thank you!
ReplyDeleteI really like the links you shared, too.
These books you shared today are of great interest to me. My mother, many years ago, was a scientific illustrator at the Field Museum in Chicago. As a kid, I used to spend hours and hours walking around the displays of the dinosaurs. I can't wait to check out these books. Many thanks!
ReplyDeleteI have always been drawn to archeological discoveries. I can't imagine how painstaking it must be to put the pieces of the puzzles together to discover what you're looking at from the ancient past. Great share today, as are your other suggestions.
ReplyDelete