the rise and fall of dinosaurs steve brusatte

So, take it as a verifiable dinosaur nerd that you need to read this book. I routinely attend the annual meeting of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, and I've written my own coloring/activity book about dinosaurs. I got a degree in geology and spent several years attempting to get a masters degree in paleontology. Occasionally, Brusatte falls into the trap of listing species names. But the information density isn't that high, and perhaps could also have been conveyed in a magazine article. I think the book did a good job at consolidating information that I'd been vaguely aware of, but only from scattershot sources. The book does do a decent job surveying the history of dinosaurs, explaining a few of our most recent discoveries as well. The anecdotes are usually too brief and shallow, and can lack a punch line. Perhaps Brusatte thinks this work is too boring for most people to care? But I want to know the details! To be fair, Brusatte does try to give capsule portraits of quite a number of other paleontologists. Several times we hear about how he filled in a spreadsheet and ran an algorithm on it. Unfortunately, this book doesn't say that much about how paleontologists work, and in particular there are very few details about the author's own work. Who the people are, and what makes them tick. When I read a book like this, written by a scientist active in the field, I want to know what the work is like-both the day-to-day chores and the exciting discoveries. This is fine, but far from the best popular science book I've read recently. A strong choice for the classroom and for independent reading, and a great source for reports using information direct from an expert in the field. This exciting nonfiction book for ages 7 to 12 includes a glossary, pronunciation guide, and index, as well as photos throughout. New York Times bestselling author and acclaimed paleontologist Steve Brusatte writes about all the new discoveries he and his colleagues have made that help us better understand-and marvel at-these remarkable reptiles. Think you know about dinosaurs? Think again! New York Times bestselling and award-winning author Steve Brusatte brings young scientists and readers everywhere into his world of massive herbivores and fearsome predators, daily unexpected discoveries, and all the new science used to learn about some of the world’s oldest beings.Įven though the dinosaurs roamed the earth millions of years ago, we’re still piecing together new information about these ancient animals.ĭid you know that, on average, a new species of dinosaur is discovered every single week? Or that many dinosaurs had feathers? Or that there are even modern-day dinosaurs walking around right now?

The rise and fall of dinosaurs steve brusatte