A Block(buster) of a Book

DINOBLOCK by Christopher Franceschelli with artwork by Peskimo. Abrams Appleseed, 2015. $16.95.

If you have a budding young paleontologist (and even even if you don't),  this book's inventive and colorful graphic design will delight and engage both children and adults. 

Two children  stop by the museum to "meet the dinosaurs" as the banner outside proclaims. Wait .... don't be quick to turn the page: the first two pages fold out to form a four-page spread of the diorama-style exhibit. 

But the children want to know:

WHO ARE THE DINOSAURS? 

and 

WHERE ARE THE DINOSAURS?

And the dinosaurs, peeking out from the jungle brush, call out:

HERE WE ARE

Pairs of two-page spreads combine to create clues and answers, comparing the characteristics of contemporary objects with dinosaur features. The design of the "clue" spread interacts with the "answer" spread and links the present to past. 

A tall building is compared to the Sauroposeidon, a dinosaur which reached heights of 18 meters (almost 60 feet).   

I AM TALL LIKE A SIX-STORY BUILDING ...

The straight-edged tab on the shared page of the clue and the answer emphasizes both the building's height and the long neck of the Sauroposeidon and gives children a peek into the prehistoric environment ...

Visit  Good Reads with Ronna to see the full review and find links to resources about the author and the illustrators.