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That's No Dino!: Or Is It? What Makes a Dinosaur a Dinosaur
Dino-loving kids will learn what a dinosaur is by discovering what it's not, in this fun and innovative introduction to some other prehistoric creatures.
Everyone knows what a dinosaur is, right? Well, maybe not. Roaming the earth alongside dinosaurs, there were other less well-known animal species --- but they were not dinosaurs. So, what is it that sets the dinosaurs apart? Here, readers are introduced to ten prehistoric animals that look like dinosaurs, but they're missing at least one key characteristic that all true dinosaurs have. One by one, each of those “missing” characteristics is added to a growing list, so that, by the end of the book, readers will know what makes a dinosaur a dinosaur!
Bestselling and award-winning author Helaine Becker uses an innovative approach to expand the world of dinosaurs for young readers. Each funny, fact-packed spread presents one prehistoric creature, with a large illustration and information about its habitat, behavior and characteristics, including which characteristic makes it not a dinosaur. Cumulative checklists of these characteristics help readers build a definition of what a dinosaur is, making complex paleontology concepts accessible. An example of a true dinosaur at the end ties it all together. All content has been well-researched and thoroughly vetted by museum and university paleontologists. Marie-Ève Tremblay's quirky, colorful illustrations include several clarifying side diagrams to support understanding. The backmatter contains more about true dinosaurs as well as a glossary, index and sources for further reading. With many curriculum links in life science, this book is particularly useful for lessons on the classification of living things.
Everyone knows what a dinosaur is, right? Well, maybe not. Roaming the earth alongside dinosaurs, there were other less well-known animal species --- but they were not dinosaurs. So, what is it that sets the dinosaurs apart? Here, readers are introduced to ten prehistoric animals that look like dinosaurs, but they're missing at least one key characteristic that all true dinosaurs have. One by one, each of those “missing” characteristics is added to a growing list, so that, by the end of the book, readers will know what makes a dinosaur a dinosaur!
Bestselling and award-winning author Helaine Becker uses an innovative approach to expand the world of dinosaurs for young readers. Each funny, fact-packed spread presents one prehistoric creature, with a large illustration and information about its habitat, behavior and characteristics, including which characteristic makes it not a dinosaur. Cumulative checklists of these characteristics help readers build a definition of what a dinosaur is, making complex paleontology concepts accessible. An example of a true dinosaur at the end ties it all together. All content has been well-researched and thoroughly vetted by museum and university paleontologists. Marie-Ève Tremblay's quirky, colorful illustrations include several clarifying side diagrams to support understanding. The backmatter contains more about true dinosaurs as well as a glossary, index and sources for further reading. With many curriculum links in life science, this book is particularly useful for lessons on the classification of living things.
32 pages, Hardcover
First published June 1, 2021
2 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Helaine Becker
97 books78 followersHelaine Becker has written over 70 books, including the #1 National bestseller, A Porcupine in a Pine Tree,and its sequel, Dashing through the Snow, Sloth at the Zoom, Dirk Daring, Secret Agent, the Looney Bay All-Stars chapter book series, non-fiction including Counting on Katherine, Worms for Breakfast and Zoobots (all Junior Library Guild Selections), Monster Science, You Can Read, Lines Bars and Circles, and Boredom Blasters, plus many picture books and young adult novels. She also writes for children’s magazines and for children's television. Her show Dr. Greenie's Mad Lab was a finalist at MIP.com Junior in Cannes.
She has won the Lane Anderson Award for Science Writing for Children twice,once for The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea and once for The Insecto-Files, and the Picture Book of the Year Award from the Canadian Booksellers Association for A Porcupine in a Pine Tree. She has also won three Silver Birch awards and a Red Cedar award.
Helaine Becker holds U.S. and Canadian citizenship. She attended high school in New York, university in North Carolina (Go Blue Devils!!!!) and now lives in Toronto with her husband and dog, Ella. She has two really handsome sons.
She has won the Lane Anderson Award for Science Writing for Children twice,once for The Big Green Book of the Big Blue Sea and once for The Insecto-Files, and the Picture Book of the Year Award from the Canadian Booksellers Association for A Porcupine in a Pine Tree. She has also won three Silver Birch awards and a Red Cedar award.
Helaine Becker holds U.S. and Canadian citizenship. She attended high school in New York, university in North Carolina (Go Blue Devils!!!!) and now lives in Toronto with her husband and dog, Ella. She has two really handsome sons.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
December 3, 2021
Great addition for picture book non-fiction about prehistoric life, and especially for children who love dinosaurs and want to know more about what truly makes a "dinosaur" a dinosaur. I agree with the reviewers who mentioned that the somewhat cutesy illustrations and humorous cartoon-bubble captions seem geared more for pre-K, whereas the text is info-heavy and more suitable for elementary kids (especially as they will have to cope with some double-negatives on the check lists, which can be a bit confusing). Despite the dichotomy there, it's chock-full of good information.
The creatures included are: Anomalocaris, Platyhystrix, Elasmotherium, Dimetrodon (yup, NOT a dino!), Protorosaurus, Pleisosaurus, Quetzalcoatlus, Teraterpeton, Poposaurus, Sacisaurus -- and velociraptor, the only dinosaur of the bunch.
Good back matter that includes Index, Selected Sources, a Glossary and a Conclusion.
From the Conclusion:
Dinosaurs are just one type of extinct animal from prehistoric times. [...] Until recently, scientists thought all dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago. But now, thanks to the discovery of new fossils, we know that some of the dinosaurs evolved into birds. Today, these dinosaur descendants still live and thrive... right outside your window!
One current definition of a dinosaur might look like this:
*has a backbone
*is not an amphibian
*is not a mammal
*is a diapsid + has an extra third hole in each side of the skull
*lived from the Mesozoic era until the present time
*is a land animal
*doesn't have featherless bat-like wings
*has an upright stance
*has complete holes in pelvis or has a pelvis that evolved from one with holes
*has grasping hands or features, such as feathered wings, that evolved from hands
For those interested in non-dinosaur prehistoric life, I also suggest I Am NOT a Dinosaur!.
The creatures included are: Anomalocaris, Platyhystrix, Elasmotherium, Dimetrodon (yup, NOT a dino!), Protorosaurus, Pleisosaurus, Quetzalcoatlus, Teraterpeton, Poposaurus, Sacisaurus -- and velociraptor, the only dinosaur of the bunch.
Good back matter that includes Index, Selected Sources, a Glossary and a Conclusion.
From the Conclusion:
Dinosaurs are just one type of extinct animal from prehistoric times. [...] Until recently, scientists thought all dinosaurs went extinct 65 million years ago. But now, thanks to the discovery of new fossils, we know that some of the dinosaurs evolved into birds. Today, these dinosaur descendants still live and thrive... right outside your window!
One current definition of a dinosaur might look like this:
*has a backbone
*is not an amphibian
*is not a mammal
*is a diapsid + has an extra third hole in each side of the skull
*lived from the Mesozoic era until the present time
*is a land animal
*doesn't have featherless bat-like wings
*has an upright stance
*has complete holes in pelvis or has a pelvis that evolved from one with holes
*has grasping hands or features, such as feathered wings, that evolved from hands
For those interested in non-dinosaur prehistoric life, I also suggest I Am NOT a Dinosaur!.
December 27, 2021
Somehow I was expecting a story, it this is a listing of different dinosaurs. Still good information with colorful pictures.
January 21, 2021
For that Dinosaurs loving kid and I know one personally, there are many pre-historic animals that look like they may be a dinosaurs but for one reason or another, they are not. You learn some interesting things about our world and some new words as well. This is a fun book and is true that learning can be fun.
A special thank you to Kids Can Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
A special thank you to Kids Can Press and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review.
January 16, 2021
Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for kindly providing me with a digital copy of this book for review.
I have a 5 year old dinosaur obsessed son. I know many people can say that but my child is just that little bit more extra than most. Being neuro-diverse he is prone to developing obsessions- and dinosaurs is definitely his thing. Ask him what he wants to be when he grows up and he says “ T-Rex”, and just to clarify, he does actually mean a t-Rex, not a palaeontologist, or someone who works in a museum, or writes books on dinosaurs- he wants to literally turn into a T-Rex. Parenting dilemma of whether I teach him he can be anything he puts his mind to, or introduce a dose of reality and get him to accept that changing species is not really an option! Anyway, the whole point of telling you this is to illustrate that we read A LOT of dinosaur books. We talk A LOT about dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are a big part of our lives. My son knows a good dinosaur book when he sees one, so he was thrilled to get the opportunity to read (or mummy to read) a copy of this book. He was instantly interested and excited by the artwork and listened intently to everything I read him. From my perspective, I always appreciate when a book breaks down the sounds of a dinosaurs name so it is easier to read. I have an English degree and I’m an avid reader, but those names do t just trip off your tongue do they! My son also liked the way the book slowly built up from starting with the one point of this is not a dinosaur because it isn’t....., to the end of the book it finishes with this is a dinosaur because it has all these elements which make it a dinosaur, and not another species. My son found it very informative, and I also learnt some interesting facts as well. Bearing in mind my child has a language delay, I asked him what he thought of the book and he said “ super good, thumbs up”. So I think that’s praise indeed and I can’t add any more to that really. Will look forward to seeing a hard copy of this book when it is released
I have a 5 year old dinosaur obsessed son. I know many people can say that but my child is just that little bit more extra than most. Being neuro-diverse he is prone to developing obsessions- and dinosaurs is definitely his thing. Ask him what he wants to be when he grows up and he says “ T-Rex”, and just to clarify, he does actually mean a t-Rex, not a palaeontologist, or someone who works in a museum, or writes books on dinosaurs- he wants to literally turn into a T-Rex. Parenting dilemma of whether I teach him he can be anything he puts his mind to, or introduce a dose of reality and get him to accept that changing species is not really an option! Anyway, the whole point of telling you this is to illustrate that we read A LOT of dinosaur books. We talk A LOT about dinosaurs. Dinosaurs are a big part of our lives. My son knows a good dinosaur book when he sees one, so he was thrilled to get the opportunity to read (or mummy to read) a copy of this book. He was instantly interested and excited by the artwork and listened intently to everything I read him. From my perspective, I always appreciate when a book breaks down the sounds of a dinosaurs name so it is easier to read. I have an English degree and I’m an avid reader, but those names do t just trip off your tongue do they! My son also liked the way the book slowly built up from starting with the one point of this is not a dinosaur because it isn’t....., to the end of the book it finishes with this is a dinosaur because it has all these elements which make it a dinosaur, and not another species. My son found it very informative, and I also learnt some interesting facts as well. Bearing in mind my child has a language delay, I asked him what he thought of the book and he said “ super good, thumbs up”. So I think that’s praise indeed and I can’t add any more to that really. Will look forward to seeing a hard copy of this book when it is released
April 26, 2021
More About Non-Dino Prehistoric Creatures
The book’s subtitle made me think it would be more about the different species of dinosaurs than it was. The bulk of the book is actually about prehistoric animals that were NOT dinosaurs. The author uses these example animals to point out key characteristics that true dinosaurs must have, like a backbone and grasping hands. Each animal is given a two-page spread that points out specific details on the illustration and provides a couple of paragraphs of description. The drawings are simple but easily show distinctions. As the author goes through the different animals, she builds a list of what makes a dinosaur a dinosaur. This was a little confusing at times, as some lines were a double negative, coming across as saying in the animal was not something when it actually was but the red X in front of the line made it so the entire line was negated. Since the title has the child-attention-grabbing word “dino” in it, I wish the author spent more time on actual dinosaurs, but after she talked about the first actual dinosaur—the velociraptor—she only discussed dinosaurs in general or in groups, like the saurischians. This book is certainly meant for older primary school children, perhaps fourth and fifth graders. If you have a dino-loving child in that age range, she or he will probably still find this book interesting as it does touch on what makes a dinosaur... and what doesn't.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
The book’s subtitle made me think it would be more about the different species of dinosaurs than it was. The bulk of the book is actually about prehistoric animals that were NOT dinosaurs. The author uses these example animals to point out key characteristics that true dinosaurs must have, like a backbone and grasping hands. Each animal is given a two-page spread that points out specific details on the illustration and provides a couple of paragraphs of description. The drawings are simple but easily show distinctions. As the author goes through the different animals, she builds a list of what makes a dinosaur a dinosaur. This was a little confusing at times, as some lines were a double negative, coming across as saying in the animal was not something when it actually was but the red X in front of the line made it so the entire line was negated. Since the title has the child-attention-grabbing word “dino” in it, I wish the author spent more time on actual dinosaurs, but after she talked about the first actual dinosaur—the velociraptor—she only discussed dinosaurs in general or in groups, like the saurischians. This book is certainly meant for older primary school children, perhaps fourth and fifth graders. If you have a dino-loving child in that age range, she or he will probably still find this book interesting as it does touch on what makes a dinosaur... and what doesn't.
I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.
December 22, 2020
Kind of niche, this does still survive to be worth consideration. It gives us only ten main spreads, each concerning one prehistoric animal, and generally demolishes the idea that they were a dinosaur. This one is an amphibian, that one was too aquatic, that one had the wrong pelvic arrangement, and so on. It's a brave book that teaches the young what something is or was through examples of things that aren't that something, but that is what this boils down to. Illustrated quite well for a young audience, the pages do finally come up with a true dinosaur, and we can then find a couple of other examples and types of the beasts. So it's not encyclopaedic, it's not got all the blood and gore and dynamism of so many dinosaur books (or should that be quote/unquote "dinosaur" books), but what it does present is the idea of the researcher's checklist of dino-requirements, and of how that said research is still going on where this subject is concerned. With caveats at how well it will be received by the young, then, this gets four stars for at least doing what it set out to do.
October 13, 2021
All dinosaurs had some specific things in common, like a backbone, and they weren't mammals or amphibians - they had to be reptiles to be a dinosaur. They also had to live during the Mesozoic era. Each page describes a prehistoric animal, and then compares it to the growing list of Dino requirements, if any don't apply, it's not a dino! What? Not everything was a dinosaur way back then!
Full page drawings with labels describe these ancient beasts, and the great text not only tells about the animal, but we learn about what scientists think - I love that there are several "probablys" which leave the field open for further discoveries. I feel like I know so much more about dinosaurs now! Showing this one to my local dinosaur museum for their gift shop, and putting a copy in my middle school.
Cross posted to http://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com
Full page drawings with labels describe these ancient beasts, and the great text not only tells about the animal, but we learn about what scientists think - I love that there are several "probablys" which leave the field open for further discoveries. I feel like I know so much more about dinosaurs now! Showing this one to my local dinosaur museum for their gift shop, and putting a copy in my middle school.
Cross posted to http://kissthebookjr.blogspot.com
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January 12, 2021What a cool book! As a kindergarten teacher, I have seen my fair share of dinosaur books, but I have never seen a book quite like this. This colorful, easy-to-read book tackles the big question: What makes a dinosaur a dinosaur? Throughout my discussions with my 5 year olds, there definitely is some confusion around this question and I can see how That's No Dino would be a fantastic resource to promote inquiry.
Thanks to Netgalley and Kids Can Press for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I definitely can't wait until June 1, 2021 to get my hands on a physical copy to add to my classroom library.
Thanks to Netgalley and Kids Can Press for an advanced digital copy in exchange for an honest review. I definitely can't wait until June 1, 2021 to get my hands on a physical copy to add to my classroom library.
December 25, 2020
A big thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. This is a children's nonfiction book. I loved it. Ok I admit, I am a huge fan of fossils and all things dinosaur related. This is a must for those kids that are interested in dinosaurs! It is colorful, creative but still factual. It tells you why an animal is or is not a dinosaur!! It explains.similarities and differences and even give the pronunciation! I learned things as well. I think most kids would enjoy. 5 stars
February 23, 2021
Very cute illustrations, and informative picture book. I wish it had either been less cute or less informative, This much information is going to be difficult to give to a child under 5, and these cute pictures, rather than realism, are hard to sell to a child of that age. Then again, many kids might LOVE correcting others that "Sacisaurus wasn't a real dinosaur!" SO for those reading every dinosaur book they can find, this will add to their knowledge base.
Reviewed via Ebook provided by NetGalley
Reviewed via Ebook provided by NetGalley
April 10, 2021
There are a million dinosaur books out there and for a good reason--dinosaurs are popular. This children's book takes a new approach to learning about dinosaurs. It lists many things a dinosaur isn't and gives a specific example of a creature that looks and/or acts like a dino, but is missing an essential quality. The author lists those qualities at the end and gives resources for more research. I was fascinated throughout this book. I love the illustrations--especially ones that helped to understand bone structure. This is a great nonfiction resource.
December 23, 2020
Review to be added to Amazon UK and US on 1st June 2021 – publication day!
I thought that this book was excellent!
It was brilliantly illustrated and the images were bright and eye catching.
The book was well laid out and I liked the way that the different characteristics were gone through to find out which ones chosen were dinosaurs, and if not, why not.
It is 5 stars from me for this one – fun and informative and the perfect book for any young dinosaur fans out there!
I thought that this book was excellent!
It was brilliantly illustrated and the images were bright and eye catching.
The book was well laid out and I liked the way that the different characteristics were gone through to find out which ones chosen were dinosaurs, and if not, why not.
It is 5 stars from me for this one – fun and informative and the perfect book for any young dinosaur fans out there!
January 5, 2021
Lovely children's book about dinosaurs! Loved the pictures, the pronunciation help and the glossary. I wish it could've been longer! I feel like there are much more to go on about dinosaurs and with the more scientific language used, the book seem to be for older kids that can read more than 30 pages... I am definitely putting this one on my list for when my daughter is older! Thank you NetGalley and Kids Can Press for the free ebook copy.
Read
February 17, 2021Captivating, fun and informative! My nieces and I read this together and they loved the illustrations and fun facts about the dinosaurs (they weren't the only ones learning!). It's the perfect book to engage the kids through the easy and factual info as well as the colourful images. Perfect for circle or story time with kids!
Thank you Net Galley and Kids Can Press for kindly providing me with a copy for an honest review!
Thank you Net Galley and Kids Can Press for kindly providing me with a copy for an honest review!
March 23, 2021
The publisher's blurb is so much better that the usual! The planning of the material shows great understanding of how to gain interest and provide information useful to a reader of any age. The illustrations are simplified but elegant and provide the perfect vehicle for the material. I recommend this book for people from 7-97 and should be in everyone's local library.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Kids Can Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Kids Can Press via NetGalley. Thank you!
December 21, 2020
Thank you to NetGalley and Kids Can Press for a free digital copy for my review.
For kids who love dinosaurs, this book will be on repeat for sure. It explores ancient creatures who look like dinosaurs, but are not classified as such. A mix of cute cartoon drawings and scientific explanations, this book will be a great edition to the libraries of dinosaur lovers.
For kids who love dinosaurs, this book will be on repeat for sure. It explores ancient creatures who look like dinosaurs, but are not classified as such. A mix of cute cartoon drawings and scientific explanations, this book will be a great edition to the libraries of dinosaur lovers.
March 10, 2021
This book was SO FUN! My son is obsessed with dinosaurs and I loved that even though the book itself was too long for him to focus on in one sitting, I was able to learn a lot while reading it! How cool to learn that some animals we would think of as dinosaurs are not.
Great illustrations also. Very colorful and vibrant.
Great illustrations also. Very colorful and vibrant.
October 20, 2021
I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Very cute illustrations, and informative picture book. There is a lot of information about non dinosaur animals as well as dinosaurs. This is a lot of information for small children to ingest. It's definitely better for a child reading on their own rather than a read aloud.
Very cute illustrations, and informative picture book. There is a lot of information about non dinosaur animals as well as dinosaurs. This is a lot of information for small children to ingest. It's definitely better for a child reading on their own rather than a read aloud.
May 2, 2022
A bit wordy but there’s good stuff here, very informative. Certainly helps explain the concept effectively, which is helpful for parents like me who have curious little ones wondering what makes a dinosaur a dinosaur.
Toddlers may not follow a lot of this but there’s lots of good pictures and some simpler ideas mixed in with more advanced ones. Have fun trying to pronounce everything.
Toddlers may not follow a lot of this but there’s lots of good pictures and some simpler ideas mixed in with more advanced ones. Have fun trying to pronounce everything.
May 9, 2021
Each animal introduced explains one qualifying (or not) dinosaur characteristic eventually working up to a current definition of what makes a dinosaur a dinosaur. This book will be especially appreciated by those kids who love to stump others with their extensive knowledge of dinosaur facts.
August 15, 2021
A great book for the dinosaur fan. I like that there’s new information and a definition of what a dinosaur is and is not.
October 16, 2021
I have so much to learn!
February 19, 2022
Sometimes, like with this book, even I become smarter having read it. I loved this! Easy to understand, fascinating facts, and a conclusion to explain why the facts are important.
August 29, 2022
I accessed digital review copies of this book through NetGalley and Edelweiss.
January 11, 2021
This is a book for slightly older children (in the 7-10 year age group). It was a bit too technical for my 3 yo but we enjoyed looking at the pictures and pronouncing the names.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.
April 13, 2021
Note: I accessed digital review copies of this book through NetGalley and Edelweiss.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews