#Prehistoric: Follow the Dinosaurs

by John Bailey Owen

Can a T. rex take a selfie? Will woolly mammoth's throwback Thursday photo get the most likes? What if prehistoric creatures were online?

Kids are engaging in social networks in increasing numbers and this digital world has given birth to a new language--the hashtag language. #PREHISTORIC offers a unique opportunity to connect with kids in their language while introducing them to the incredible dinosaurs and animals of the prehistoric world. Each creature has its own humorous username and caption as well as a user info page that offers basic facts, stats, and photos. A comment section provides humorously imagined dinosaur banter. The hashtags also serve to present information in a contemporary voice. #PREHISTORIC is a melding of old and new and fun and informative, making nonfiction incredibly accessible for young readers.

133 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 6, 2015

Reviews

[Paula · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a techie take on a kid-favorite topic: dinosaurs. Using hashtags, usernames, photos, followers and comments, the text provides basic information on over fifty dinosaurs. The spreads are made to mimic Facebook or Snapchat pages. Glib usernames are followed by species name, time period, size, diet, hangouts (habitat), and bio. The facing spread features drawings (selfies) of the dinosaur and a comment section filled with silly dino-chitchat. Maps, photos and illustrations round out the posts. This is a social networking approach to dinosaurs, not a straight-up nonfiction book; real information takes a back seat to trivial postings. But it will appeal to tweens who can’t be bothered with too much reading; it’s classified as fiction for a reason. It’s a solid browsing book but it lacks the meat for research or serious dino-philes.

[Teresa Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This dino book is written like a cross between texting and facebook. It is clever, though the "#" can get a bit much. Every two pages a prehistoric creature is featured, along with "photos" and actual facts. My favorite was the Dunkle_Bone, aka: Dunkleosteus. It was the biggest creature before dinosaurs - actually larger than a great white shark! T-Rex leaves a comment on his page, which is fun. I recommend the book for students in fourth grade and up because it could be hard for younger readers to tell the difference between real facts and twists to fit the facebook scenario. On Estemmenosuchus' page, there is a flyer for The Permian Prom - clever, but not real.

[Emily Rozmus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, fun, fun for dinosaur lovers. The best parts of the book are the clever screen names and hashtags. This one will fly off of library shelves.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Middle grade students will appreciate the humor in this modern version of dinosaur nonfiction complete with hashtags and screen names for various species.