Lucas Blogs About Dinosaur Empire
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| I could have waited until evening to take this photo, but I didn't. |
So, what's this book's deal?
This is the first entry in Abby Howard's young reader paleontology comic series Earth Before Us, it's called Dinosaur Empire.
Wait a minute, is this one of those books that tricks kids into learning by presenting educational material with a loose narrative?
Yep! It follows Ronnie, an elementary school student who recently received a zero on her dinosaur quiz and is freaking out about her future academic prospects. This attracts the attention of her neighbor, Miss Lernin, who is hanging out in a recycling bin for reasons that are "not important." In any case, Miss Lernin uses science magic to take Ronnie back in time to the Mesozoic era so that she can learn all about dinosaurs and ace her make-up quiz.
So . . . it's kinda like The Magic School Bus?
Yeah, but without Lily Tomlin.
You know that The Magic School Bus was a series of kids' books before it was a kids' tv show, right?
Probably. But that's not important.
That this is a charming, funny, and engaging book about dinosaurs. Not unlike The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs. Just for a different age group. Also, since new discoveries are always being made, both have the possibility of being obsolete soon. In any case, Howard's goal seems to be two-fold. First, she wants to educate kids about the basics of biology: ecological niches, evolution, phylogeny, that sort of thing. Secondly, she wants to impart how rad dinosaurs are.
They are pretty rad.
And it's not just dinosaurs. Howard also teaches kids about the flying and swimming reptiles that coexisted with them, the massive insects and tiny mammals of the Mesozoic, the evolution of deciduous plants and flowers, the fact that dinosaurs still live among us as birds. That kind of thing.
Through deceit!
You're weirdly hung up on that. It's not like you have to trick kids into learning. Learning is fun in and of itself. That said, it doesn't hurt to have a narrative that you can hang that education on. Which brings us to the actual story itself. It's pretty thin, given that it's an excuse to teach about dinosaurs. That said, both Ronnie and Miss Lernin are fun characters with endearing quirks (like Ronnie's love for ancient crocodylomorphs and her desire to prevent the evolution of bees or Miss Lernin's enthusiasm for insects). Giving the two main characters such clear voices and intellectual curiosity makes this book a great vehicle for teaching.
And how's the art?
The art's good. While Howard renders her main characters in an exaggerated, cartoony style, the dinosaurs (and other ancient fauna and flora) are more realistic. However, instead of cluttering the drawings with too much texture or shading or cross-hatching, Howard opts to communicate these things with the coloring of the drawings, which helps bring the illustrations to life. I'll admit, part of the reason I picked the book up is because the art was so eye-catching.
Sounds like a recommendation.
Yeah, if you want a fun way to teach kids about science, dinosaurs are a great way to do it. And if you have to trick them into learning with a flimsy frame narrative, well, that'll be our little secret.
Dinosaur Empire written and drawn by Abby Howard, Amulet Books hardcover edition, 2017, 126 pages, pairs well with a thirst for knowledge
Links:
Here's links to the author/artist's twitter and tumblr feeds, if you're into that kinda thing.
And here's the publisher's page on the book, so you can see some of the artwork.
Through deceit!
You're weirdly hung up on that. It's not like you have to trick kids into learning. Learning is fun in and of itself. That said, it doesn't hurt to have a narrative that you can hang that education on. Which brings us to the actual story itself. It's pretty thin, given that it's an excuse to teach about dinosaurs. That said, both Ronnie and Miss Lernin are fun characters with endearing quirks (like Ronnie's love for ancient crocodylomorphs and her desire to prevent the evolution of bees or Miss Lernin's enthusiasm for insects). Giving the two main characters such clear voices and intellectual curiosity makes this book a great vehicle for teaching.
And how's the art?
The art's good. While Howard renders her main characters in an exaggerated, cartoony style, the dinosaurs (and other ancient fauna and flora) are more realistic. However, instead of cluttering the drawings with too much texture or shading or cross-hatching, Howard opts to communicate these things with the coloring of the drawings, which helps bring the illustrations to life. I'll admit, part of the reason I picked the book up is because the art was so eye-catching.
Sounds like a recommendation.
Yeah, if you want a fun way to teach kids about science, dinosaurs are a great way to do it. And if you have to trick them into learning with a flimsy frame narrative, well, that'll be our little secret.
Dinosaur Empire written and drawn by Abby Howard, Amulet Books hardcover edition, 2017, 126 pages, pairs well with a thirst for knowledge
Links:
Here's links to the author/artist's twitter and tumblr feeds, if you're into that kinda thing.
And here's the publisher's page on the book, so you can see some of the artwork.
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