Tracking Tyrannosaurs (National Geographic Kids)

Gr 5-7--Having a rock star like T. rex in one's family tree pretty much ensures that other tyrannosaurids will find themselves languishing in the wings like amp-toting roadies, but Sloan's new genealogical work certainly pops the spotlight on some nifty critters. The readable text investigates the evolutionary path of this predatory family, providing both a general "Dinosaur Family Tree" as well as a more specific "Tyrannosaur Family Tree"--from the Jurassic through the Cretaceous--to that final line in the rock above which no dino fossils have been found. From that point, Sloan delves into particular "branches." A global location map (including continental-drift insets) is provided, and some nine species are given facing-page units. These are graced with information boxes, size comparisons, a "Dino Database," and, more importantly, a clear presentation of what is known about that dinosaur, including its discovery and physical attributes, and what its existence means on the evolutionary tree. Included are such "new" finds as agile little Guanlong and the 30-foot-long Yutyrannus, surprisingly covered in "long, thick, hairlike feathers." All this is accompanied by some eye-catching, realistic artwork--informative in its own right. Slim, readable, informative, and with a feathery, toothy Yutyrannus clomping through a snowy landscape on the cover, this title will spend a good part of its life out in circulation.--Patricia Manning, formerly at Eastchester Public Library, NY