⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Absolutely stunning, but heads up - it's not just about dinosaurs!

Wow, this book is GORGEOUS. I'm talking about illustrations that made me gasp on every page. Rachel Ignotofsky has done it again. Her art style is so unique and makes learning so much fun.

I'm giving this five stars because it's truly outstanding, but I want to be clear about what you can expect. Even though the title says it's about dinosaurs, it's much more than JUST about them. It's more like going on a full tour of Earth's history, from single-celled organisms to the first people. You get dinosaurs, but you also get a lot more. Instead of being a book just about dinosaurs, think of it as a chronology of evolution and geology that happens to include dinosaurs rather than a dedicated dino book.

The pace is just right, and the fascinating information had me say "What?!" all the time. I learned so much that I ended up delving down rabbit holes online to find out what experts think these extinct species looked like. This book makes you want to keep learning.

The illustrations might make you assume it's for kids, but I think this is excellent for kids who are 10 and older. There is a lot of information that smaller kids might find overwhelming... especially all the BIG words and names!

You have to have this if you love science! I'd also suggest it for any science class; teachers would love it. You're getting a full tour of Earth's history, not just the Mesozoic Era. And believe me, that's lot cooler than simply dinosaurs!

Overall, I thought this was a fun and informative book. There were a few issues that I did have with it though. First, throughout the book, almost every single page had words where letters were missing or where letters on some words seemed slightly faded as if they'd been copied and printed on a printer that was running out of ink. This made reading the book incredibly difficult, especially as someone with dyslexia and an astigmatism. There were also a few of the little side notes on some pages that were so blurry, no matter what device I tried to read the book on, that there was just no way to be able to read what they said. I did also noticed some spelling errors and spots where some sentenced didn't make sense because of the way they were structured or because an improper word was used at some point in the sentence. Additionally, the title led me to believe that the book would be a lot more centered on dinosaurs. However, the focus of the book is more on natural history at a whole, with dinosaurs not making a real appearance until about 53% of the way through the book and encompassing less than 30% of the book's overall content. As a result, the title ends up feeling more like a ploy just to draw people in.

I think there is some great information in this book and I really loved all the illustrations. But there is definitely room for improvement before official publication.

The cover caught my attention immediately and the insides did not disappoint either. This book features captivating colorful full page illustrations. It goes through the different periods and eras of prehistory discussing geology, dinosaurs and evolution. A fun reference book to add to any readers shelf!

Thank you Ten Speed Press for this eARC through NetGalley!

There is a lot to uncover in this book about dinosaurs. Written for slightly older youth, or adults, but the illustrations are awesome enough for the whole family.

For anyone who loves to learn about dinosaurs this I a great book to read. My 8 year old son loves dinosaurs and couldn’t wait to read it. He loved how it showed different dinosaurs and it talked about the different time periods they were in. The colorful pictures were great too. I would recommend this book to any dinosaur lover.

I requested this book based off of the cover and that I live in a house of dinosaur fans. I was not disappointed. This book was way more in depth than I had anticipated. It would be a great informative book for elementary school dinosaur fans. I'm glad to have received an arc of this, because it will be a must purchase for me. The pictures in this book are beautiful, just like the cover. As a parent reading this, you will also come away with some new dinosaur knowledge. I have read so many dinosaur-themed stories and this one still managed to teach me new things that I didn't already know. Thank you so much, for giving me the chance to have this ARC.

“Dinosaurs” is truly an exceptionally, beautifully illustrated non-fiction work. While I’d not consider myself by any means an expert in paleobiology or geology, I have reviewed and purchased many, many books in the subject areas for a wide range of ages and experience. Each book brings something a little different to the plate with a balance of narrative, science, and artistic representation. 

I feel this book is best suited to 8-14 year olds, but very enjoyable for all casual paleobiology hobbiest that aren’t seeking strictly scientific illustrations. I want to be very clear that I *love* the artwork in this book, so much that I plan to purchase a physical copy even though it falls outside of our usual collection parameters. While the illustrations are very stylistic, I’m still seeing thoughtful interpretations that aren’t rooted in retro paleoartistry (see: stegosaurs, velociraptor). Though, I see we’ve fallen into pronated T-Rex territory in some illustrations. 

The book is ultimately a colorful and striking interpretation of the prehistoric world that’s simply a joy to look at. Something unique this book brings that we don’t see terribly often in this format is the global contextualization of animals and plants throughout geological time. It was lovely to see not *just* a book about dinosaurs, but also the environmental context of bugs, fish, mammal introduction, and some corresponding flora. I’m also a certified prehistoric mammalian lover and we simply don’t have enough general audience texts describing that period and I love that this book really brings those geological periods forward with the same kind of geological context. 

The factual content of the book is consistent with other scientific texts covering similar material with easily digestible summaries on things like convergent evolution and species niches. Overall, I loved it. I think it provides a wonderfully accessible text in a very scientific niche. 

Thank you to NetGalley for a digital edition for review.

4.5 Stars

Let me start by saying that the art and layout of this book are absolutely stunning. The book is gorgeous and would be a wonderful and special gift for any palaeontology fan.

I understand why for brevity this book is named ‘dinosaurs’ but I really think this both under and mis sells what this book actually is. As a megafauna fan I cannot tell you how pleased I was that this book didn’t end with the extinction of the dinosaurs but also covered the rise of mammals (the illustration of Paraceratherium!! An entire page on extinct marsupials!!!). The book goes on to cover the evolution of our own species and the Holocene Epoch. Equally this book starts /way/ before the existence of dinosaurs right at the beginning of life on our planet. This all made me (a massive geology and palaeontology nerd) extremely happy, but a 12 year old with a very focused interest on dinosaurs specifically might be less thrilled.

As someone who is interested in the history of palaeontology as a discipline and loves to learn more about the field, my favourite parts of this book were the ‘stories of discovery’ sections. These short sections give readers insight into how we came to learn what we now know about the earth and the animals that used to live here.

There is so much to learn in this book, and the information is presented in an accessible and engaging way. I almost think the amount of information was slightly overwhelming at times, especially because this book covers such an unimaginably large period of geological time. I think for some younger readers there might be a lot to absorb here, but this is also the sort of book that many will dip into over many days, weeks and months rather than reading from cover to cover.

Overall I really loved this. I think this is a great gift for nature and palaeontology lovers of any age!! The art is truly stunning. The ‘Resources’ section at the end is also very helpful and well done, to encourage any budding scientists to explore further on their own!

Thank you very much to NetGalley and Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press for the Arc!

I absolutely judged this book by its cover, and I’m so glad I did, because the inside is somehow even prettier. My love for dinosaurs (and my first brush with childhood trauma) began with The Land Before Time, and this book reignited that fascination in the best possible way.

Rachel Ignotofsky’s art is STUNNING. I kept flipping pages without realizing because I was too busy gawking like a bird spotting something shiny.

Would I recommend it? Absolutely. Would I trust small children with it? Absolutely not. This is a giftable book I’d buy for a friend and then keep for myself like a gremlin.

Thank you to NetGalley, Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press, and Rachel Ignotofsky for this ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Chock full of information and lovely, colorful illustrations! Very thorough covering not only dinosaurs but many other creatures, as well as fossils, evolution, geological timelines, and more. The book pretty densely packed but you could flip open to any page really to enjoy the art and pick up different tidbits of information, or really hunker down and read through a full section. A great choice for detail oriented kiddos who love to know the how and why of their interests.

This book will take you on a journey from the origins of the Earth to our current era. I must say that it's not just about dinosaurs, and that section appears a little bit later in the book, which was a bit disappointing. It focuses more on evolution in general, which is still great, but I thought there would be a lot more dinosaurs.

The information is quite simple and clear, and the art and graphics make it a fun and colorful experience. I really liked the art style and the layout of the text, as it doesn't get lost and is easy to read.

Review to come in October close to the release day.

I received this book from Netgalley/the publisher in exchange of an honest review.

First up, I appreciate a publisher adding a note to the ecopy that the quality of the illustrations aren't the best. I have had way too many books without a warning and so I was delighted to see a warning. OK, also dreading reading it, because would it only be the illustrations or also the text? And how much text is in the illustrations that may be unreadable?

Well, I have to be honest and say that at least the main text is fine and even very clear which made me happy. Sadly, if the text is part of the illustrations it is hard to read to the point that I just kinda gave up at points, which is a shame. Plus, throughout the book some letters were missing in the text.

Now to the book! Sadly, if you come for the dinosaurs, you are going to get disappointed. The book is 128 pages, and it isn't until halfway that we get dinosaurs. Yup. Around page 60 we are finally at the Permian period with starter dinosaurs, and it isn't until page 67 that we are at the REAL dinosaurs. Yup. I was definitely disappointed. Oh, and then around page 99 we were done because then the dinosaurs were extinct. Yup. We get a total of around 38 pages of dinosaurs, 31 if you want to go for real dinosaurs. *sighs* I was quite excited at the start because I liked that the book started with a lesson on geography, on volcanoes, and on fossils and how they are made/what they are, then to mass extinction (there were 5 of those), evolution. But then we went through ALL of the timelines. And I have to say, I came for the dinosaurs. I love all the other timelines, and apparently the book does have a subtitle about the other timelines, but I think it would have been a better choice if the books sub-titles (now almost only shown on the cover and not on websites) are the main topic. So not Dinosaurs: insert subtitle that is almost never mentioned and that cover is just to small to see that subtitle, but Exploring Prehistoric Life and Geological Time. Or just simpler Early Life and Dinosaurs. Or Dinosaurs and What Came Before. Now I was just getting bored because again, I came for dinosaurs. If I had known that half of the book was about non-dinosaurs? I wouldn't have picked it up. If I had seen the subtitle I would have maybe considered it, though I am mostly a dinosaur girlie.

And while the book was fun, the writing style great and interesting, and the dinosaur parts fabulous, it just took too long. By the time we finally got to the dinosaurs my ADHD was full out of control and just didn't want to read anymore, but I pushed through which well, led to me having less fun than if the book was entirely about dinosaurs (or if the title was a better indicator of other things).

The art was a lot of fun and super gorgeous (and also one of the reasons why I got this book), though it is just a shame it was of such terrible quality. I hope that in the published books it will be better. The note at the start promises that, but since I live in a Dutch country I can never truly check that.

So yeah, this could have been so much more, but I am not going to be able to rate it high because I am just too disappointed and my ADHD is grumpy because I had to continue reading.

Fun, Immersive and Informative -

This was a delightful book with immersive and creative illustrations throughout. I enjoyed the use of color to create a fun and informational experience.
I thought the information was organized and concise while also touching on many different scientific topics relating to dinosaurs and their environment.
I am excited to check out the other books by this author and the new editions to come.

We’re enormous fans of Rachel Ignotofsky books - they’re so enjoyable to read while always containing an impressive amount of information for a children’s book. The aesthetic is, as always, flawless (and I’ll shamelessly admit that is a factor in me reaching for a book for them) The information is easily digestible - I’ve been using it in homeschool for my 5 and 7 year old - and it’s quickly become one of our favourite resources. My favourite aspect (apart from the colour palette) is how the layout has helped them with comprehension of the earth’s timeline. Highly recommend!

My kids love Rachel's Planet Earth, so I was so excited to see that she had a book about Dinosaurs coming out. The illustrations are fantastic and kid-friendly and it's packed with educational information.

But the best thing is the balance between facts and pictures. There are pages where it's almost entirely written information, pages that are all illustrations, and some are a mix of both. But it's all laid out in a way that keeps my kids' attentions. They love dinosaurs, but too many pictures and they just start flipping through. Too much reading and they zone out. This book had just the right balance that kept their attention from start to finish.

Can't wait to order a physical copy!

Dinosaurs by Rachel Ignotofsky is such a fun and gorgeous book. The illustrations are stunning, and the way she explains everything makes it so easy to get lost in the prehistoric world. I actually learned quite a few things myself—like how some of today’s animals might have looked like way back when—and I thought I already knew a lot about dinosaurs!

Honestly, I think I enjoyed it even more than my kids did (though they loved the pictures), and definitely not as much as my husband—he’s obsessed. This book is perfect for families who love dinosaurs and want to share that excitement with their kids. It’s educational, fun, and one we’ll keep coming back to.

I have read books from Thai author in the past and have sometimes struggled finding the book on Goodreads. I would not find it for Dinosaurs either so I could not post a review on there.

This is such a pretty book! I am a dinosaur nerd, and the paleoart here made me really happy! I also really enjoyed all of the historical stories and facts. (I am not an expert, but from what I saw it was correct!) Overall, a delightful read about dinosaurs! I did not expect this book to focus as much on history before dinos as it did, but that was wonderfully done as well.

Thanks to NetGalley, Rachel Ignotofsky, and Clarkson Potter/Ten Speed Press for the chance to read and review. My opinions are my own.

Thank you to NetGalley and Lux for providing me with a digital ARC.

I've been in a dinosaur mood since "Jurassic World Rebirth" came out, so I decided to theme our literacy night around dinosaurs and I'm just trying to study as much on dinosaurs.

Reading this book and viewing it made me feel like a kid all over again. The illustrations are beautiful and captivating; AI could never replace a real artist. Rachel Ignotofsky has done an incredible job weaving the information presented in this text alongside vibrant illustrations. Although there is a lot of information to cover, it never feels like a dull moment. I wish texts like this had been available in my school library. I'm eager to add this book to our library collection!