How Dinosaurs Took Flight: The Fossils, the Science, What We Think We Know, and Mysteries Yet Unsolved

by Christopher Sloan

How did dinosaurs get feathers? How did they start flying? What use were feathers to dinosaurs that didn't fly? Chris Sloan's 2000 book Feathered Dinosaurs introduced kids to the radical idea that some dinosaurs had feathers and that birds are, in fact, a subset of dinosaurs. In How Dinosaurs Took Flight, Sloan returns to these ancient feathered creatures to introduce kids to the fascinating new finds—including a Tyrannosaur with feathers and a dinosaur with not just two but four wings. The author focuses on the tough new questions scientists are asking right now, the evidence they've gathered, the hypotheses that are developing from the evidence, and the unknowns that remain. This book will be the most up-to-date children's book on this topic on the market.

Genres: Science, Nonfiction, Dinosaurs, Prehistory

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Bianca · Rating 4 out of 5]

It would probably work better as a read, not an audio, but even so, it paints a great picture of the topic. I love the structured analysis, the short dictionary part of every chapter, its succinct overview without losing the necessary.

[Henning Klank · Rating 4 out of 5]

12.10.08

Excellent

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

Science keeps advancing it seems... all the world knew about dinosaurs when we were seven years old isn't all the world knows about dinosaurs when our kids are nearing that age.

My interest in dinosaurs peaked when I was 7 or so (this book is aimed at a pre-teen I'd say too), but my interest in birds is high now. Presented with help of the scientific method, science journalist Christopher Sloan summaries for us the state of the birds as dinosaurs debate, featuring a number of fossils found in the last decade in China. Introducing me to a number of species whose names I still can't pronounce, we look at dino-fuzz and feathers, small vs. large dinos and investigate basal, primitive and early dinos and their connection to modern birds.

I felt like he's trying to fill in gaps that are really chasms, find connections between millions of years as if they are days, and in general conclude things that are inconclusive. That said, the pictures are really nice.

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give it 4 stars for the pictures-- beautiful pictures of fossils displaying traces of feathers-- and 3 stars for the text, which tended to be hard to follow because the theories are so complex.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Grandpa and Grandma gave me this book for Christmas. I really liked it.

[Emily · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was not exactly what I was looking for, although, it did provide interesting information about anatomy of early birds and dinosaurs.