Dinosaur Tree

by Douglas Henderson

Traces the life cycle of a tree in the late Triassic period, from its first sprouting to its death and preservation in Arizona's Petrified Forest, and describes the various creatures that made their home in the environment in which the tree grew.

Genres: Picture Books

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1994

About the author

For the Scottish mycologist, see Douglas Mackay Henderson

Reviews

[Anna Nesterovich · Rating 3 out of 5]

I heard about this book in reference to its wonderful illustrations. And the illustrations are indeed fabulous! However, there are at least two things that prevent it from being a perfect book for kids. First, too many words. Yes, I know, it's often easier to say what you mean and to carry the emotions with a lot of words, rather than a few, but in a children's book that won't do. Second, from a book about a tree, I would expect more of a "tree perspective" probably. It's easy to slip into that notion that everything is born, killed and then fossilized. And as someone who has seen the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forrest, I understand the sentiment. What we see now seems so extraordinary, it's easy to forget it's a coincidence and chance, rather than something that had to happen. A bit of more focus on the tree's life cycle would remedy the situation. For example, why was such a crucial moment in the tree's life as starting producing seeds completely left out of the narrative?

[Melody]

This is a beautiful illustrated book that follows the life of a tree from seed to fossilization. It was sad at times, and one could certainly see the analogy to human life at times. My son brought this home from the school library and I really enjoyed it. The only draw back was the slight evolutionary allusion at the beginning of the book. Aside from that, it was a nice read, especially for bedtime.

[Meadow · Rating 1 out of 5]

I know Hazel doesn't like a book if we only read it once, and most of that is skimming.