School Library Journal
11/01/2021
K-Gr 2—The second book in the "I Am Prehistoric" series has all the high action appeal that beginning readers who are enthralled by dinosaurs will love. This book shares information about the pterosaur Hatzegopteryx. Appearance, diet, and other basic scientific facts about this fascinating creature are presented in a format suitable for younger readers. Fierce dinosaur action with vivid illustrations that leap off the page will transport kids to prehistoric times. What makes this a strong title is that it is also pitch- perfect for emerging readers. Though sentences are all three words long, they feature unusual but highly effective verbs not often seen in this format. For example, when Hatzegopteryx captures another dinosaur for a meal, the sentences that accompany the open-mouthed, ready-to-dine creature are, " I am Hatzegopteryx. I can gulp." Back matter provides more information that can make this text very useful for the classroom. Fascinating and informative. VERDICT A standout addition to the nonfiction section for dinosaurs, and a welcome choice for emergent readers who like dinosaur action. —John Scott, Baltimore County P.S.
Kirkus Reviews
2021-07-28
“I can grow,” says a juvenile example of one of the largest flying reptiles on record with perfect truth—posing in one late illustration next to a like-sized modern giraffe.
Accompanying Bradley’s mostly monosyllabic narrative, which begins with “I can hatch” and proceeds from there, his speculative paleo-portraits go for the gusto. They track an outsized predator with an even more outsized crest decked out in dazzling black and orange as it swoops over a rocky coastline or stilts its way through swamp and woodland to snatch up prey and (bloodlessly) gobble it down. Even a pair of velociraptors in one scene look justly cowed, and, particularly after a melodramatic view looking down at a hapless airborne lizard about to vanish into a wide-open maw, readers may greet the final “I am extinct” with a sigh of relief. Closing comments about when this monster lived and where fossil remains have been found, along with the physical structures of its wings and crest, fill in at least some blanks, and a pair of references at the end will help dedicated dinophiles fill in a few more. The one (diminutive) human figure in the size comparison chart is White. A Spanish edition publishes simultaneously.
It’s a bit thin in the particulars, but no one’s going to look at the art just once. (Informational picture book. 5-8)
