Atlas of Dinosaur Adventures; Emily Hawkins, illustrated by Lucy Letherland

Atlas of Dinosaur Adventures is a fabulous title published by Wide Eyed Editions as part of their ‘Atlas of Adventures’ series. Atlas of Dinosaur Adventures is a fascinating journey back in time to when huge beasts roamed the earth. Prepare to be whisked away to two hundred and fifty million years ago and from there you will embark on prehistoric adventures exploring the Triassic World, The Jurassic World and the Cretaceous World. Discover a multitude of dinosaurs from around the world and marvel at their magnificence.

At the start there is a dino-riffic introduction to the different prehistoric time periods and illustrations to show how the continents moved, shifted and evolved over millions of years. A brief explanation of how fossils are formed is a welcome inclusion at the beginning. The book then takes the reader on a journey across the six continents of the world where the dinosaur inhabitants of each continent are explored. In North America, described as “Rich in fossils and a dinosaur-hunter’s dream,” you can discover the popular T. Rex and the Stegosaurus. Then sail to Europe, “The birthplace of fossil hunting, and the continent where dinosaur bones were first studied scientifically,” and meet the sea-dwelling Plesiosaurus and take flight with Hatzegopteryx. Then it’s a quick hop across to Africa, “This huge continent has revealed some incredible dinosaur finds.” Here you can browse the tree tops with Giraffatitan (possibly my favourite sounding dinosaur - and whose name means ‘giant giraffe’) and meet Spinosaurus, with its beautiful fan-like sail on its back. Then onto Asia & The Middle East, “Spectacular fossil discoveries from Asia within the last 20 years have changed the way we think about dinosaurs.” Here you you will discover, Mircoraptor, a dinosaur that was the size of a guinea pig and for something just a little larger there is Gigantoraptor, which kind of looked like a giant ostrich. Finally visit Australia & Antarctica, “The creatures that lived here had to be versatile and tough enough to survive the long, dark and chilly South Polar winters.” Become acquainted with Muttaburrasaurus who had a colourful bulge on its snout and Antarctopelta who was always ready for battle with its armoured eyelids.

The dinosaurs are grouped by the continents on which they lived. There is a large double page map at the beginning of each continent which shows the dinosaurs that used to live there. Each dinosaur has its own double page that is laid out in an accessible way with a heading and introductory paragraph. The introductory paragraphs give the important facts and provide fascinating information about the different dinosaurs and the illustrations of the dinosaurs and the lands on which they lived are large, bold and beautifully coloured. There are further snippets of extra information dotted around the illustrations and there is a useful zoomed in map that pinpoints the dinosaur within a country.

Dinosaur fact-files are included on each spread which provide quick reference details including; meaning of name, where the first fossil of that dinosaur was found, the period in which it was around, the group of dinosaurs it belonged to, it’s diet and it’s size.

And when all the information gets too much, there is a fabulous ‘Can you find?’ section at the back of the book which challenges the reader to find various things hidden within each scene. I did wonder why I spotted a Giraffatitan with a lifeguard ring around it’s neck…now I know why!

This read has everything a dino-lover or budding palaeontologist could wish for. Incredible images, fantastic facts and an abundance of information. Superb reading for any child with just a passing interest in dinosaurs. The book is published as a large format coffee-table sized book with thick pages that will hold up to endless hours of exploration.

Recommended for 7+.