Seismosaurus - Gone Forever Author:Rupert Matthews Discusses the dinosaur Seismosaurus, including its known physical characteristics, behavior, habitat, and what other creatures were its contemporaries, as well as how scientists study fossils and evaluate geological features to learn about extinct organisms. — Children's Literature — Almost half as long as a football field and weighing as much as ... more »ten elephants, the Seismosaurus was indeed among the largest of the dinosaurs. Its size and its propensity to knock over large trees in an effort to eat their leaves may well have contributed to the elimination of the forests during the Mesozoic era. The large volume of food consumed by these mammals no doubt contributed to the dung piles believed to be larger than the average first grader, a fact the male set will no doubt find enormously fascinating. These are among the fascinating Seismosaurus facts that young readers will learn from this "Gone Forever!" series. Boasting sixteen titles and aimed at kindergarten through second-graders, each book in the series is laid out using short chapters and simple language. Maps, timelines, photos, a fact file, glossary, bibliography, and index are included. Introducing young readers to complex subjects can be difficult. This series does a good job of taking the detective work involved in studying extinct creatures and plants and explaining it to the earliest of readers. Having said that, because of the subject matter and the reliance on the glossary to explain new terminology, this series will likely be best utilized by those readers at the stronger end of this age group. Finally, this title included a couple chapters that do not deal directly with the Seismosaurus and could easily have been eliminated.
Kris Sauer - 2004, Heinemann Library, Ages 5 to 7.« less