Welcome to the museum: Dinosaurium by Chris Wormell and Lily Murray

I've looked at several titles from the Welcome to the Museum series with longing; they're presented as museum exhibits and are masterpieces of information and art, with a "curator" instead of an author. However, I didn't feel that there was enough interest from my patrons in the previous titles to justify the cost - even with my vendor discount they come in at around $20, which is very high for a hardcover with regular binding that might not last through multiple uses.

However, when I heard a dinosaur title was coming out, I knew I had found the perfect fit - I was even more delighted to receive a review copy!

I read the WHOLE THING. I am not particularly a fan of dinosaurs to be honest; it's just not an aspect of science that has ever interested me. However, I made it through and it was really quite fascinating. The book is divided up into "galleries" and each one discusses a different classification of dinosaurs, like theropoda or ornithopoda. There is a final collection of non-dinosaurs, like pterosaurs, marine reptiles, and early mammals, and sections on extinction and survival. The final part of the book is the library, which includes the index, "curators" and bibliography.

The book is oversized and each giant spread includes carefully drawn illustrations of dinosaurs, an introduction to their group, and careful footnotes that are attached to each plate, or illustration. The text is detailed and challenging, so readers who want to not just examine the pictures and general information but read all the details will need to be either really motivated or very strong readers.

Verdict: This book will garner readers at a number of levels; younger readers and those who do not have the ability to read the full text will still enjoy poring over the illustrations and carefully examining each "exhibit." Older, more fluent readers will learn much from the information included (and probably drive their family crazy by repeating it to everyone, but that's life if you have a dinosaur fan!). Well worth the extra money and special shelving needed for the large size, I strongly recommend this title.

ISBN: 9780763699000; Published April 2018 by Big Picture Press; Review copy provided by publisher; Donated to the library