[.ca] Dinosaurs Under the Big Sky (ISBN 0878424458)

dinosaurs:
I LIKED THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT GAVE YOU INFORMATION ABOUT DINOSAURS.

dinosaurs:
I LIKED THIS BOOK BECAUSE IT GAVE YOU INFORMATION ABOUT DINOSAURS.

Well-written and excellently illustrated:
Dinosuars/Big Sky is well written and excellently illustrated. It provides a basic history of bone hunting in Montana and a "how-to" of conducting field research. It also discusses the various geologic formations of the Mesozoic in Montana. All of this is illustrated with appropriate graphics and period and contemporary photos. As is the case with most well-written dino books of the past decade, Horner also discusses the paleo-environmental information that the geologic data provide - how paleontologists know in what setting the various dinos lived. An appendix clarifies some of the sometimes confusing anatomical terms that are used when discussing dino skeletons. Chapter 4 and Chapter 5, at 60 pages the longest, discuss where Montana's Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous geologic formations are found and the dinos that have been found in them. It is arguable that the info on the geologic formations could have been better placed with the dinos rather than separately. The only weak part of Dinosaurs/Big Sky lies in a couple of erratic metric to imperial measurement conversions and the pronunciations given with the descriptions of each dinosaur. Paleontologists are not experts on classical or church Latin pronunciation or the vagaries of classical Greek pronunciation, and most paleontologists end up pronouncing the dinos' names with much inflection from their native languages, but Horner or his editor have not managed to be consistent from one page to the next in this section. Some pronunciations are incorrect by any standard. Richardoestesia gilmorei, for example, twice has its genus name butchered - both wrong. All in all, this is an excellent introductory to mid-level book for anyone interested in North American dinosaurs and how professionals do field work.

I liked this book very much:
Hi, I'm just a kid but I want everybody to know how much I enjoyed this book. I was hoping to get it for Christmas but now I got it early and I'm glad. I think dinosaurs are a lot of fun and I'm glad to get this book and study up on it. I hope to someday be like Jack Horner and work with dinosaurs out in Montana. I don't live in Montana but I wish I could so I could find more dinosaurs. I found some pieces one time in North Dakota and that got me interested. I like to go to museums and look at the skeletons and all the other information on dinosaurs, especially the T-Rex. I hope my parents will take me to Montana this summer and I can go to the museum and visit with Mr. Horner. It should be a lot of fun. I will ask him to autograph my book. Thank you very much, Dr. Horner for writing this book. It is my new favorite of all my dinosaur books.

For would-be dinosaur hunters:
Amateur collectors and lay readers will find Dinosaurs Under The Big Sky to be an intriguing guide to the dinosaurs which once roamed Montana. From the geologic history of the state to fossil finds and techniques for collecting, Dinosaurs Under The Big Sky will appeal to a specialized but interested audience of would-be dinosaur hunters.