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The Little Book of Dinosaurs
A charming, richly illustrated, pocket-size exploration of dinosaurs
Packed with surprising facts, this delightful and gorgeously designed book will beguile any dinosaur lover. Expertly written and beautifully illustrated throughout with color photographs and original color artwork, The Little Book of Dinosaurs is an accessible and enjoyable mini-reference. It fits an astonishing amount of information in a small package, covering a wide range of topics—from dinosaur diversity and social behaviors to their extinction and rediscovery. It also includes curious facts and a section on dinosaurs in myths, folklore, and popular culture from around the globe. The result is an irresistible guide to the amazing world of dinosaurs.
A beautifully designed pocket-size book with a foil-stamped cloth coverFeatures some 140 color illustrations and photosMakes a perfect gift
Packed with surprising facts, this delightful and gorgeously designed book will beguile any dinosaur lover. Expertly written and beautifully illustrated throughout with color photographs and original color artwork, The Little Book of Dinosaurs is an accessible and enjoyable mini-reference. It fits an astonishing amount of information in a small package, covering a wide range of topics—from dinosaur diversity and social behaviors to their extinction and rediscovery. It also includes curious facts and a section on dinosaurs in myths, folklore, and popular culture from around the globe. The result is an irresistible guide to the amazing world of dinosaurs.
A beautifully designed pocket-size book with a foil-stamped cloth coverFeatures some 140 color illustrations and photosMakes a perfect gift
160 pages, Hardcover
Published October 22, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
January 11, 2025
Every dinosaur nerd's greatest fantasy.
As a resident self-proclaimed Dino Nerd I had a BLAST reading this book. I felt like it was very comprehensive, covering very obvious details as well as lesser known facts. I learned a lot, it was wholesome and complete and covered all of the information that one could hope to know about dinosaurs in a brief book. What a great book.
As a resident self-proclaimed Dino Nerd I had a BLAST reading this book. I felt like it was very comprehensive, covering very obvious details as well as lesser known facts. I learned a lot, it was wholesome and complete and covered all of the information that one could hope to know about dinosaurs in a brief book. What a great book.
January 4, 2025
Really engaging and interesting for a nonfiction encyclopedia type book. Definitely one of the most fun nonfictions if ever read.
January 23, 2025
✅ Är liten
✅ Är en bok
✅ Handlar om dinosaurier
✅ Är en bok
✅ Handlar om dinosaurier
June 20, 2025
As someone who struggles reading non-fiction, I enjoyed this immensely! 🦕🦖
April 18, 2026
I get what I came for: a book of dinosaur facts. Of course there would be some simplification and it would be intended for the general public, but it’s good enough for me. I actually have palaeo exams coming up, so reading this book is kind of like putting me in the right mindset but in a relaxing way — like procrastinating but still feel like doing work, haha!
I like how simple and accessible this book is, as well as being pocket sized. The author gave an overview of the background of dinosaurs’ timeline, the main events, the notable species and lookalike dinosaurs, their ecology (quite a lot of fun facts there), and their influence on popular culture (obviously, Jurassic Park). I also appreciate how the book isn’t just about dinosaurs, but placing them in context within the geological time period, with other contemporary animals and plants. Combined with gorgeous illustrations, this book is a delight to read.
Some cool facts and general info:
(It's getting kinda long lol)
Dinosaurs (including non avian dinosaurs and modern birds) are archosaurs, sister taxa being crocodilians (diverged 240 million years ago). Early dinosaurs are likely endothermic (warm blooded), a trait that was lost in some larger dinosaurs later.
Marine reptiles are not dinosaurs. Main groups include ichthyosaurs, sauropterygians (including durophagous placodonts until Triassic, plesiosaurs with long necks), and mosasaurs (Cretaceous top marine predators).
Sauropods in the Triassic were bipedal, and several species seemed to have large claws for tearing down vegetation, or for defence. As they increased in size, shift towards quadrupedal stance occurred.
Global average temperature of Jurassic (~201 to 145 million years ago) was about 8 degrees warmer than today -- so there were no permanent ice caps at the poles, and much higher sea level.
Then Cretaceous period was important for many major groups on Earth
- dinosaur diversity reached peak, including well known species like T rex, velociraptor, triceratops
- Angiosperm Terrestrial Revolution: flowering plants evolved and dominated!
- Arrival of flowers resulted in adaptive radiation of animals
- Mesozoic Marine Revolution: increase in complexity of hard shelled invertebrates (because of arms race with durophagous predators?)
Ceratopsians in Cretaceous developed iconic horns and frills. The purpose might be for defence against predators, but more often competition with each other by the way the horns fit when head-to-head.
Spinosaurids in Cretaceous were adapted to hunting fish: elongate skull + long thin snout + conical teeth. And even claws that act as fish hooks!
Birds evolved from dinosaurs: they share unique bones e.g furcula the wishbone, hollow pneumatised bones (for weight reduction). Then dinosaurs with feathers were discovered -- e.g Sinosauropteryx, and the rest... For example, velociraptors had quill knobs on their forearms that suggested presence of feathers.
Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) Mass Extinction certainly caused the extinction of all dinosaurs except birds, but even before the asteroid impact at 66 mya, dinosaur diversity had been declining. Climate change: cooling from increased SO2 and ash of volcanic activity (Deccan Traps) then warming from CO2 was likely. This change would have impacted primary producers thus destabilised the food chain.
But when the 12 km diameter asteroid hit Chicxulub in Mexico, vaporised bedrock blast front killed animals within miles + seismic activity resulted in tsunamis, particularly deadly for many low lying habitats + molten glass sphercules ejected rained down long away from the strike location -- set fires where they landed. And these were just immediate effects! Long term, ash and debris in atmosphere blocked sunlight: plants die, herbivores die, carnivores surplus of food but then starve.
But of course, after Mass Extinctions, survivors often go through adaptive radiation! Because there are so many niches to fill, devoid of competitors. For example, birds and mammals diversity exploded after dinosaur extinction.
Jurassic Park film resulted in more people studying palaeontology. Cool! (But when you think of the most famous species from Jurassic Park, um they're mostly Cretaceous? I guess Cretaceous Park, or even more accurately, Mesozoic Park just don't sound as catchy?)
There you go!
No one:
Me: use Goodreads review to make notes.
(If you really stuck with me till the end, thank you *fancy bow*. You must be an amazing, patient human with long attention span. Thank you.)
PS: if any info is inaccurate or recently revised, I'll happy to hear about it. The more I learn, the more I realise I don't know!
I like how simple and accessible this book is, as well as being pocket sized. The author gave an overview of the background of dinosaurs’ timeline, the main events, the notable species and lookalike dinosaurs, their ecology (quite a lot of fun facts there), and their influence on popular culture (obviously, Jurassic Park). I also appreciate how the book isn’t just about dinosaurs, but placing them in context within the geological time period, with other contemporary animals and plants. Combined with gorgeous illustrations, this book is a delight to read.
Some cool facts and general info:
(It's getting kinda long lol)
Dinosaurs (including non avian dinosaurs and modern birds) are archosaurs, sister taxa being crocodilians (diverged 240 million years ago). Early dinosaurs are likely endothermic (warm blooded), a trait that was lost in some larger dinosaurs later.
Marine reptiles are not dinosaurs. Main groups include ichthyosaurs, sauropterygians (including durophagous placodonts until Triassic, plesiosaurs with long necks), and mosasaurs (Cretaceous top marine predators).
Sauropods in the Triassic were bipedal, and several species seemed to have large claws for tearing down vegetation, or for defence. As they increased in size, shift towards quadrupedal stance occurred.
Global average temperature of Jurassic (~201 to 145 million years ago) was about 8 degrees warmer than today -- so there were no permanent ice caps at the poles, and much higher sea level.
Then Cretaceous period was important for many major groups on Earth
- dinosaur diversity reached peak, including well known species like T rex, velociraptor, triceratops
- Angiosperm Terrestrial Revolution: flowering plants evolved and dominated!
- Arrival of flowers resulted in adaptive radiation of animals
- Mesozoic Marine Revolution: increase in complexity of hard shelled invertebrates (because of arms race with durophagous predators?)
Ceratopsians in Cretaceous developed iconic horns and frills. The purpose might be for defence against predators, but more often competition with each other by the way the horns fit when head-to-head.
Spinosaurids in Cretaceous were adapted to hunting fish: elongate skull + long thin snout + conical teeth. And even claws that act as fish hooks!
Birds evolved from dinosaurs: they share unique bones e.g furcula the wishbone, hollow pneumatised bones (for weight reduction). Then dinosaurs with feathers were discovered -- e.g Sinosauropteryx, and the rest... For example, velociraptors had quill knobs on their forearms that suggested presence of feathers.
Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) Mass Extinction certainly caused the extinction of all dinosaurs except birds, but even before the asteroid impact at 66 mya, dinosaur diversity had been declining. Climate change: cooling from increased SO2 and ash of volcanic activity (Deccan Traps) then warming from CO2 was likely. This change would have impacted primary producers thus destabilised the food chain.
But when the 12 km diameter asteroid hit Chicxulub in Mexico, vaporised bedrock blast front killed animals within miles + seismic activity resulted in tsunamis, particularly deadly for many low lying habitats + molten glass sphercules ejected rained down long away from the strike location -- set fires where they landed. And these were just immediate effects! Long term, ash and debris in atmosphere blocked sunlight: plants die, herbivores die, carnivores surplus of food but then starve.
But of course, after Mass Extinctions, survivors often go through adaptive radiation! Because there are so many niches to fill, devoid of competitors. For example, birds and mammals diversity exploded after dinosaur extinction.
Jurassic Park film resulted in more people studying palaeontology. Cool! (But when you think of the most famous species from Jurassic Park, um they're mostly Cretaceous? I guess Cretaceous Park, or even more accurately, Mesozoic Park just don't sound as catchy?)
There you go!
No one:
Me: use Goodreads review to make notes.
(If you really stuck with me till the end, thank you *fancy bow*. You must be an amazing, patient human with long attention span. Thank you.)
PS: if any info is inaccurate or recently revised, I'll happy to hear about it. The more I learn, the more I realise I don't know!
February 21, 2025
Quality Rating: Four Stars
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars
A lovely little pocket book with chapters touching all areas of paleontological discoveries, as well as the science and pop culture it is inevitably intertwined with. I really liked how it was broken down to show just how wide the field is, and gave you a snapshot of so much more to discover. And who doesn't love to read about dinosaurs?
Enjoyment Rating: Four Stars
A lovely little pocket book with chapters touching all areas of paleontological discoveries, as well as the science and pop culture it is inevitably intertwined with. I really liked how it was broken down to show just how wide the field is, and gave you a snapshot of so much more to discover. And who doesn't love to read about dinosaurs?
February 14, 2025
Fantastic book fully of precise informative details on dinosaurs delivered in short easy to read paragraphs.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews