Prehistoric Predators: The Biggest Carnivores of the Prehistoric World

by Brian Switek

Discover the most dangerous dinos that ever roamed the Earth in this thrilling, action-packed exploration of Killer Dinosaurs!

The biggest baddies of the prehistoric world -- the carnivores -- come alive in KILLER DINOSAURS. This exciting new book features stunning, full-color illustrations from leading dinosaur experts that make these dangerous dinosaurs come alive on each page. Bursting with fascinating facts and dynamic artwork, this is the perfect book for dinosaur lovers of every age!

Genres: Nonfiction, Picture Books, Palaeontology

96 pages, Hardcover

First published July 21, 2015

About the author

Brian Switek has loved fossils and natural history since he was knee-high to a Stegosaurus, and he's turned that passion into a writing career encompassing articles, blogs, and books for outlets ranging from National Geographic and Nature to Slate and the Wall Street Journal.

His first book, Written in Stone, was published in 2010, followed by My Beloved Brontosaurus (2013), the National Geographic special issue When Dinosaurs Ruled (2014), and the children's book Prehistoric Predators (2015). His next book, about the evolutionary stories wrapped up in our very bones, will be published by Riverhead in 2017.

Brian lives in Salt Lake City with a clowder of four cats, his faithful canine companion Jet, and his wife Tracey. When not tapping away at the desk, he can usually be found wandering the desert with museum crews looking for what's left of the non-avian dinosaurs.

Reviews

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

The advantage of having a nephew with unbridled enthusiasm for dinosaurs is the rekindling of my own obsession, which thankfully, didn't go extinct. Pretty cool book. Obviously for kids but I feel no shame reading and rating it.

[Dominique Gonzales]

Summary: This exciting picture book draws you into the discovery and lives of some of the most dangerous animals to roam the earth. Dinosaurs. This big is a great way to learn about all the different carnivores that lived here on earth a million years ago and the lives of them. It is a great picture detailed book that can make it look like these dinosaurs are here and alive today. This book is a great read for any age, even if there are some words kids can't understand the pictures of the book speak for themselves.

Personal Thoughts: I really enjoyed reading this book. As girl it's weird to type and say that I enjoy learning about dinosaurs. I have always thought to myself what it would be like if they were alive today and this book as such great detail and picture that bring everything to life. I personally loved reading everything and looking at all the details that helps me picture dinosaurs alive today. I would love for my own classroom to read about it and one day even go to a museum to look at real bones of dinosaurs that lived long ago.

How I Will Use: I will use this book to help kids learn again about science and the discovery of something old but amazing. It would be a great book to read about if I could ever take my kids on a field trip to go see a museum and get a closer look at dinosaur bones.

[Philip · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been reading dinosaurs book since 1960's The How and Why Wonder Book of Dinosaurs, but Brian Switek's My Beloved Brontosaurus was one of the best, and I'm looking forward to reading his Written in Stone: Evolution, the Fossil Record, and Our Place in Nature. In the meantime, however, it was fun to breeze through this slim children's book - for some reason listed as Killer Dinosaurs, while the cover clearly says Prehistoric Predators. Indeed, my one complaint with the book is that it does focus overly on dinosaurs, where I would have enjoyed more about the Cenozoic mammals which only get a few pages.

[Brandy Shark · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're into dinosaurs, Brian Switek's writings are way to go. He writes for National Geographic and tweets about his expeditions.

Even though this book is technically for children, it is very enjoyable. The pictures are exquisite, and Switek never talks down to the reader. I think some of the dinosaurs and predators needed a little more information (instead of the science bites given), but it was still enjoyable and informative. And I always enjoy a dinosaur book that gives us pronunciation guides.

[Ruth Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dramatic cover looks like it is 3-D!

Book includes the Permian Period through the Cenozoic Era.

Each dinosaur/creature has a fact box:
pronunciation
size
age (time when it lived)
physical description
"science bite"

This is a very attractive dinosaur book!