laura_mcloughlin's review
4.0
My dinosaur loving daughter and I both really liked this book. Some of the animals/creatures featured were quite obviously not dinosaurs (woolly mammoth, saber toothed cat, neanderthals*, etc) but others are often lumped into the dinosaur family (plesiosaurs, pterasaurs, dimetrodon**). The illustrations are very pretty and the rhymes about each animal are short but informative. There is a little bit more information at the end about what exactly makes something a dinosaur and about each of the animals featured and a timeline of when they lived on earth.
*I'm honestly not sure how I felt about neanderthals being included with a book about extinct animals. It seemed a little odd and I would have liked there to be more information on where they fit with human evolution (it has been a while since I took biology and I honestly can't remember).
**Dimetrodon was my husband's favorite dinosaur growing up, little did we know that they aren't actually dinosaurs. Perhaps he needs a new favorite.
*I'm honestly not sure how I felt about neanderthals being included with a book about extinct animals. It seemed a little odd and I would have liked there to be more information on where they fit with human evolution (it has been a while since I took biology and I honestly can't remember).
**Dimetrodon was my husband's favorite dinosaur growing up, little did we know that they aren't actually dinosaurs. Perhaps he needs a new favorite.
teenytinylibrary's review
3.0
I Am Not a Dinosaur! explores the American Museum of Natural History's collection of non-dinosaur museum skeletons through clever little rhymes. I think my favorite is: "I have no teeth, just pointy jaws--two fierce and bony living saws. I cut fish down right to the core...but--I am NOT a dinosaur! I am Dunklesosteus." Interestingly enough, I read this right after Squirrels Leap, Squirrels Sleep which has similar, cut paper collage like images as well. Lambert captures the essence of each creature well, and I really appreciate the back matter, which gives more information about each animal, shows a small picture of the creature's skeleton, AND shoes a time line of when each animal lived. A bibliography would be a great addition, but this does help to expand the usefulness of the book.
crowyhead's review
4.0
This is a great book for young kids about prehistoric animals. The illustrations are delightful, and the rhyming text makes it a great read aloud. There are good resources in the back for learning more detail. My only complaint is that there's no pronunciation guide in the text -- definitely check out the notes in the back and practice before tackling this one for story time!
maidmarianlib's review
4.0
Great book about all kinds of animals that lived anciently great collage illustrations
elephant's review
4.0
I like the bold, chunky illustrations that accompany the poetic text. Facts about each animal are given at the end of the book as well.
cweichel's review
5.0
This book introduces readers to numerous animals often mistaken for dinosaurs. I loved it for many reasons. First, the main part is written in poetry. Second, it's nonfiction. Third, Jonny Lambert's art is equal to Steve Jenkins work. Fourth, the back matter is full of additional information about each animal. There is a section titled, What is a Dinosaur? It also includes a timeline showing the epochs each animal existed.
andizor's review
3.0
I Am Not a Dinosaur! explores the American Museum of Natural History's collection of non-dinosaur museum skeletons through clever little rhymes. I think my favorite is: "I have no teeth, just pointy jaws--two fierce and bony living saws. I cut fish down right to the core...but--I am NOT a dinosaur! I am Dunklesosteus." Interestingly enough, I read this right after Squirrels Leap, Squirrels Sleep which has similar, cut paper collage like images as well. Lambert captures the essence of each creature well, and I really appreciate the back matter, which gives more information about each animal, shows a small picture of the creature's skeleton, AND shoes a time line of when each animal lived. A bibliography would be a great addition, but this does help to expand the usefulness of the book.
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