RE: good book for 4th grader

["Thomas R. Holtz, Jr." <tholtz@geol.umd.edu>]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: owner-dinosaur@usc.edu [mailto:owner-dinosaur@usc.edu]On Behalf Of
> Mar Qos Aker
> Sent: Wednesday, December 22, 2004 12:44 AM
> To: mahaffy@mtcnet.net; dinosaur@usc.edu
> Subject: Re: good book for 4th grader
>
>
> Listers/listees/lurkers
>
> J Horner's T Rex work for children got some good press and while I can't 
> specifically remember reading it, I have looked
> at it and it seemed to be simply and somewhat clearly written to me. However, 
> I know there are Horner distractors and
> attractors on this list and don't wish to argue with them better equipped 
> than I am. Mine is purely an amateur approach,
> altho I taught 5 and 6th graders a couple years in sunday school. And on this 
> list that might be a demerit :)

Ahem...

And now, the opposition,

My T. rex: Hunter or Scavenger? (Step-Into-Reading Step 5, kick-ass art by Mike 
Skrepnick) is available. It's perhaps a little young
for for 4th graders (much less 5th-6th), but useful to have around. The other 
recent Step-Into-Reading Step 5 books for kids by
paleontologists include Maximum Triceratops and Raptor Pack (Bakker, with Luis 
Rey art: these two have a couple more in the works
for the near future); the forthcoming Dino Dung (Karen Chin & Thom Holmes, art 
by Karen Carr); and Dinos Alive! (Dennis Shealy, with
lots of help from me & Mike   Brett-Surman; art by Mike Skrepnick).

For the 4th grade crowd, I can always recommend Holtz & Brett-Surman (art by 
Bob Walters) Jurassic Park Dinosaur Field Guide, and
Thom Holmes' excellent series on various dinosaur and non-dinosaur groups.

Of course, in a year or two there will be something available that will blow 
all of these out of the water. Think "Dinosauria II for
kids"... ;-)

Merry Christmas, everybody!


                Thomas R. Holtz, Jr.
                Vertebrate Paleontologist
Department of Geology           Director, Earth, Life & Time Program
University of Maryland          College Park Scholars
        Mailing Address:
                Building 237, Room 1117
                College Park, MD  20742

http://www.geol.umd.edu/~tholtz/
http://www.geol.umd.edu/~jmerck/eltsite
Phone:  301-405-4084    Email:  tholtz@geol.umd.edu
Fax (Geol):  301-314-9661       Fax (CPS-ELT): 301-405-0796