LESSEM, Don 1951-

("Dino" Don Lessem)

Personal

Born December 2, 1951, in New York, NY; son of Lawrence (a dentist) and Gertrude (a psychologist; maiden name, Goldman) Lessem; married Paula Hartstein (a reading specialist), June 8, 1978; children: Rebecca, Erica. Education: Brandeis University, B.A. (cum laude; Oriental art history) 1973; attended University of Massachusetts—Boston, 1976. Politics: Anarchist. Religion: Jewish. Hobbies and other interests: Travel, sports.

Addresses

Home and office— Newton, MA. Agent— Al Zuckerman, Writers House, 21 West 26th St., New York, NY 10010. E-mail— [email protected].

Career

Writer and consultant. Science journalist for Boston Globe and other periodicals; Dinosaur Productions, Waban, MA, president, 1995—; Dinosaur Exhibitions, Waban, president, 1996—. Writer and host of episodes of television programs Discovery and Nova for Public Broadcast System (PBS). Technical advisor on films and for theme parks.

Member

Dinosaur Society (founder), Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, Windsor Club (board member).

Awards, Honors

Several National Science Teachers Association awards; Knight Science Journalism fellowship, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1988.

Writings

Life Is No Yuk for the Yak: A Book of Endangered Animals, illustrated by Linda Bourke, Crane Russak (New York, NY), 1977.

How to Flatten Your Nose, Klutz Press, 1978.

Aerphobics: The Scientific Way to Stop Exercising (humor), Morrow (New York, NY), 1980.

The Worst of Everything: The Experts' Listing of the Most Loathsome and Deficient in Every Realm of Our Lives, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1988.

(With John R. Horner) Digging up Tyrannosaurus Rex, Crown (New York, NY), 1992.

Kings of Creation: How a New Breed of Scientists Is Revolutionizing Our Understanding of Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Sibbick, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1992, published as Dinosaurs Rediscovered: New Findings Which Are Revolutionizing Dinosaur Science, Touchstone (New York, NY), 1993.

(With John R. Horner) The Complete T. Rex: How Stunning New Discoveries Are Changing Our Understanding of the World's Most Famous Dinosaur, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1993.

(With Donald F. Glut) The Dinosaur Society's Dinosaur Encyclopedia, Random House (New York, NY), 1993.

The Iceman, Crown (New York, NY), 1994.

Jack Horner: Living with Dinosaurs, illustrated by Janet Hamlin, Scientific American Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 1994.

Inside the Amazing Amazon: Incredible Fold-out Cross Sections of the World's Greatest Rainforest, illustrated by Michael Rothman, Crown (New York, NY), 1995.

(With Donald Glut) Dinosaur Encyclopedia, Random House (New York, NY), 1996.

Ornithomimids, the Fastest Dinosaur, illustrated by Brian Franczak, Carolrhoda (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

Raptors: The Nastiest Dinosaurs, illustrated by David Peters, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1996.

Seismosaurus: The Longest Dinosaur, illustrated by Donna Braginetz, Carolrhoda (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

Troodon, the Smartest Dinosaur, illustrated by Brian Franzack, Carolrhoda (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

Utahraptor: The Deadliest Dinosaur, illustrated by Donna Braginetz, Carolrhoda (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

(With Rodolfo Coria) Supergiants! The Biggest Dinosaurs, illustrated by David Peters, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1997.

Bigger than T-Rex, Random House (New York, NY), 1997.

Skeleton Detective, Random House (New York, NY), 1997.

Dinosaur Worlds: New Dinosaurs, New Discoveries, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1997.

Dinosaurs to Dodos: An Encyclopedia of Extinct Animals, illustrated by Jan Sovak, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.

The Ultimate Dinosaur Field Guide, Klutz Press, 1999.

Looking Lousy, Morrow (New York, NY), 1999.

All the Dirt on Dinosaurs, illustrated by Kevin Wasden, Tor Kids (New York, NY), 2001.

Tyrannosaurus Rex, illustrated by Hall Train, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2002.

The Dinosaur Atlas: A Complete Look at the World of Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Firefly Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Dinosaurs A to Z: The Ultimate Dinosaur Encyclopedia, illustrated by Jan Sovak, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2004.

Regular columnist for Highlights for Children magazine under name Dino Don; author and editor of Dino Times (newsletter). Contributor to periodicals, including Boston Globe and New York Times.

"WHEN DINOSAURS LIVED" SERIES; AS "DINO" DON LESSEM

Baby Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2001.

Biggest Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2001.

Giants of the Sky, illustrated by John Bindon, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2002.

Sidelights

Longtime science journalist Don Lessem specializes in writing about science for middle graders and penning humorous books for adults. His engaging style and evident excitement about his topics, coupled with his dedication to providing accurate, accessible information on his subjects, have made Lessem's books popular with readers and critics alike. Nicknamed "Dino" Don, Lessem is best known for his books on dinosaurs and the scientists who have dedicated their lives to uncovering the mysteries of these long-extinct animals. Beginning his book-writing career with Life Is No Yuk for the Yak, which profiles endangered species alongside lighthearted limericks and Linda Bourke's cartoon illustrations, he often combines science with a humorous approach. The majority of Lessem's books outline the history of and current findings about a wide variety of dinosaurs: their discovery, habits, environments, and time periods.

Lessem's books on dinosaurs and paleontologists have garnered widespread praise for their ability to inform readers in an attractive, uncluttered format. Critics have cited his prose style as both clear and inspirational, reflecting Lessem's own enthusiasm for his subject. As Lessem once told Something about the Author (SATA ), "Dinosaurs are my writing life, at least much of it. My job as I see it is to communicate the latest discoveries of dinosaurs to anyone who gives a hoot, especially kids. I do so via exhibits I build, such as Lost World; writing a column for Highlights Magazine; creating CDs for Microsoft; creating the largest dinosaur charity and its children's newspaper (The Dinosaur Society and Dino Times ); creating Web sites; casting the largest meat-eating dinosaur; advising on theme parks and movies; writing and hosting Nova and Discovery documentaries; AND writing books." In his Highlights column Lessem responds to over one thousand dino-related questions from young readers each year.

Born in 1951, Lessem first became interested in dinosaurs at the age of five, after seeing a museum model of a Tyrannosaurus Rex. Beginning his career as a science writer for major newspapers after studying biobehavioralism at the University of Massachusetts, Lessem traveled widely. He began writing books in the late 1970s, straying from nonfiction to straight-out humor. As he later recalled, "I got onto dinosaurs visiting a Montana dig for a newspaper while an MIT science journalism fellow in 1988. I find the new discoveries, the remote locales, the characters who study dinosaurs, and the scavenger hunting that is much of the science to be continually fascinating. Many, at least those under the age of ten, share that interest, fortunately, or I'd be working nights at McDonald's."

Notable among Lessem's many books on dinosaurs are Dinosaur Worlds: New Dinosaurs, New Discoveries and Dinosaurs A to Z: The Ultimate Dinosaur Encyclopedia. In Dinosaur Worlds several of the most important sites containing dinosaur remains are introduced to young readers. Lessem also provides information on the environments, prey, and life cycles of a large number of the prehistoric creatures. Dinosaur Worlds "is a book that report writers and dinophiles won't want to miss," averred Stephanie Zvirin in Booklist.

Dinosaurs A to Z assembles 700 entries and 350 color illustrations by Jan Sovak into a single volume that even the most knowledgeable dino buff will find illuminating. From habitat and diet to taxonomic classification and name pronunciation, the volume presents its many facts in an easily accessible alphabetical format. Childhood Education reviewer Joseph McSparran praised the work as a "fascinating reference book" that serves as an "exciting and complete resource," while in Booklist a contributor noted that Lessem's text is "thorough and interesting and not too difficult for elementary-school readers, who will be excited to have this book." "Only dinosaurs are covered, with no flying reptiles or ichthyosaurs to confuse things," added School Library Journal contributor Steven Engelfried, summing Dinosaurs A to Z up as an "attractive and useful resource."

In The Dinosaur Atlas Lessem collects even more facts about the ancient Earth-roamers, this time framing them around the rise and ultimate fall of the creatures. Geology, paleontology, the evolution of fifty different species, and the Earth's evolving ecosystem all come under examination, in a text that is "lively and enlightening, focusing on especially interesting examples rather than vague generalizations," in the opinion of Engelfried. Lessem breaks his subject into three area, each representing a different era in dino evolution: Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. He balances his focused text with informative sidebars, a well-researched bibliography, maps, and "excellent" illustrations by John Bindon that, according to a Booklist reviewer, add to the book's value. Praising both text and format in her Resource Links review, Judy Cottrell called the work a "refreshing" and "wonderful book which takes a geographical approach to the study of dinosaurs."

Lessem profiles individual dinosaurs in such books as Raptors: The Nastiest Dinosaurs, Ornithomimids: The Fastest Dinosaur, Troodon, the Smartest Dinosaur, Seismosaurus: The Longest Dinosaur, and Utahraptor: The Deadliest Dinosaur, all part of a series on special dinosaurs published by Carolrhoda. In these books, the author gathers information on the discovery of the fossil remains of each dinosaur type and the paleontologists who found them, as well as on how information about the creature's abilities and habits has been deduced from fossil evidence. Lessem then goes on to speculate about possible evolutionary descendants of his subject. "Lessem treats a popular topic adeptly, humorously, and with a balance of information that is both relevant and stimulating to read," remarked Olga Kuharets in a review of Seismosaurus and Utahraptor for School Library Journal. In her Booklist reviews of Ornithominids and Troodon, Frances Bradburn commented that these "finely crafted" books offer "a fascinating look at how paleontologists discover the fossilized remains of these huge beasts." In addition, Lessem's texts have been praised by critics for their clarity and organization of a wealth of fascinating material.

Lessem's dedication to introducing children and adults to the lives of the scientists behind the scientific discoveries has yielded such works as Kings of Creation: How a New Breed of Scientists Is Revolutionizing Our Understanding of Dinosaurs and Jack Horner: Living with Dinosaurs. In Kings of Creation, the author presents an overview of the explosion of new information that has become available over the last three decades, in which the popular image of dinosaurs has been completely revised by a group of scientists who have uncovered signs

of intelligence, speed, and nurturing in species previously thought to be stupid, slow, and hostile even to their own offspring. Leading scientists, significant digs, and the new theories are all presented in a work in which Lessem, according to a reviewer for Publishers Weekly, "presents a lively sampling of current and significant work on dinosaurs worldwide.… This is the best book on the subject since Robert Bakker's Dinosaur Heresies and a treat for buffs."

Jack Horner: Living with Dinosaurs is a biography about John R. Horner, chief curator of paleontology at the University of Montana and a scientific advisor on the popular film Jurassic Park. In this work Lessem presents both personal background on Horner and information about the scientist's most famous discoveries. Lessem "writes with zest, showing the determination and excitement that accompanied Horner's explorations," remarked Susan Dove Lempke in a review for Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni noted in Appraisal that "Lessem's portrayal of Horner feels authentic: a plainspoken, quiet, thoughtful man who is most at home walking on the badlands where dinosaurs walked before him." Writing in the same publication, Patricia Manning maintained that Lessem's writing style in Jack Horner is "perfectly tailored to fourth and fifth graders." A reviewer in Kirkus Reviews concurred: The "book works thanks to Lessem's own enthusiasm for dinosaurs and his impressive knack for writing in kid-speak."

Sometimes taking a break from dinosaurs, Lessem has also authored several nonfiction titles that focus on other topics of interest to him. In 1994 he authored The Iceman, a book describing the discovery of a 5,000-year-old mummy in the mountains of Europe and what scientists gleaned from it about the life of prehistoric Europeans. In his more recent Inside the Amazing Amazon, Lessem's clear text augments oversize fold-out illustrations by Michael Rothman that detail plant and animal life in the world's largest rainforest.

In addition to his work as a writer, Lessem is the founder of several dinosaur-related organizations, including the Dinosaur Society, a group for children; Dinosaur Productions, which in 2003 was in the process of creating the first full-size reproduction of a Giganotosaurus, the largest carnivore to ever walk the Earth; and Dinosaur Exhibitions; he is also a member of the developing committee for the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology. "My aspiration," he once told SATA, "is to continue providing children with what for so long they have lacked—current and accurate information on new scientific discoveries and the methods behind them in hopes of feeding their mania for dinosaurs and spreading it to all of science as a lifetime interest.… I hope to continue as long as dinosaurs are still alive, at least in the imaginations of many of us."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Appraisal, winter, 1995, Patricia Manning and Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni, reviews of Jack Horner, pp. 112-114; winter-spring, 1996, pp. 35-36.

Booklist, April 1, 1992, p. 1419; February 15, 1996, Frances Bradburn, review of Ornithomimids and Troodon, p. 1014; September 1, 1996, p. 997; November 15, 1996, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Dinosaur Worlds, pp. 583-584; December 15, 2003, review of Dinosaurs A to Z, p. 766; March 1, 2004, review of The Dinosaur Atlas, p. 1228.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September, 1994, p. 17; December, 1994, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Jack Horner, p. 135.

Childhood Education, summer, 2004, Joseph McSparran, review of Dinosaurs A to Z, p. 212.

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 1994, p. 702; December 1, 1995, p. 1703; November 15, 1994, review of Jack Horner, p. 1534.

Publishers Weekly, March 2, 1992, review of Kings of Creation, p. 58; November 4, 1996, p. 78.

Resource Links, October, 2003, Judy Cottrell, review of The Dinosaur Atlas, p. 25.

School Library Journal, March, 1978, p. 138; July, 1994, p. 111; January, 1996, p. 120; September, 1996, Olga Kuharets, review of Seismosaurus and Utahraptor, p. 218; October, 1996, pp. 135-136; September, 1997, p. 232; December, 1997, p. 140; December, 2003, Steven Engelfried, review of Dinosaurs A to Z and The Dinosaur Atlas, p. 170.

ONLINE

Boyds Mills Press Web site, http://www.boydsmillspress.com/ (October 22, 2004), "Don Lessem."

Dino Don's Dinosaur World, http://www.dinodon.com/ (October 21, 2004).*

Lessem, Don 1951- ("Dino" Don Lessem)

Personal

Born December 2, 1951, in New York, NY; son of Lawrence (a dentist) and Gertrude (a psychologist) Lessem; married Paula Hartstein (a reading specialist), June 8, 1978 (divorced, July 1, 1999); children: Rebecca, Erica. Education: Brandeis University, B.A. (Oriental art history; cum laude), 1973; University of Massachusetts—Boston, M.S. (bio-behavioral studies), 1978. Politics: "Disgusted." Religion: Jewish. Hobbies and other interests: Travel, tennis, raising pygmy goats Paris and Nicole.

Addresses

Home and office—Troodon Manor, P.O. Box 404, Media, PA 19063. Agent—Al Zuckerman, Writers House, 21 W. 26th St., New York, NY 10010. E-mail—[email protected].

Career

Writer, exhibit building and dinosaur skeleton reconstruction. Science journalist for Boston Globe and other periodicals; Dinosaur Productions, Waban, MA, president, beginning 1995; Dinosaur Exhibitions, Waban, president, beginning 1996; Dinodon, Inc., president, beginning 2002; Exhibits Rex, president, beginning 2004; DKV Sponsorship, president, 2005; Genghis Khan Exhibits, president, beginning 2006. Writer and host of episodes of television programs Discovery and Nova for Public Broadcast System (PBS). Technical advisor on films and for theme parks. Founder of charities Jurassic Foundation, Dinosaur Society, and Mongolian Cultural Preservation Fund.

Member

International Association of Amusement Parks and Aquaria, American Association of Museums, Association of Science and Technology Centers, Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

Awards, Honors

Several National Science Teachers Association awards; Knight Science Journalism fellowship, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1988.

Writings

FOR CHILDREN

Life Is No Yuk for the Yak: A Book of Endangered Animals, illustrated by Linda Bourke, Crane Russak (New York, NY), 1977.

(With John R. Horner) Digging up Tyrannosaurus Rex, Crown (New York, NY), 1992.

The Iceman, Crown (New York, NY), 1994.

Jack Horner: Living with Dinosaurs, illustrated by Janet Hamlin, Scientific American Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 1994.

Inside the Amazing Amazon: Incredible Fold-out Cross Sections of the World's Greatest Rainforest, illustrated by Michael Rothman, Crown (New York, NY), 1995.

(With Donald Glut) Dinosaur Encyclopedia, Random House (New York, NY), 1996.

Ornithomimids: The Fastest Dinosaur, illustrated by Brian Franczak, Carolrhoda (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

Raptors!: The Nastiest Dinosaurs, illustrated by David Peters, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1996.

Seismosaurus: The Longest Dinosaur, illustrated by Donna Braginetz, Carolrhoda (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

Troodon: The Smartest Dinosaur, illustrated by Brian Franzack, Carolrhoda (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

Utahraptor: The Deadliest Dinosaur, illustrated by Donna Braginetz, Carolrhoda (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

(With Rodolfo Coria) Supergiants! The Biggest Dinosaurs, illustrated by David Peters, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1997.

Bigger than T-Rex, Random House (New York, NY), 1997.

Skeleton Detective, Random House (New York, NY), 1997.

Dinosaur Worlds: New Dinosaurs, New Discoveries, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1997.

Dinosaurs to Dodos: An Encyclopedia of Extinct Animals, illustrated by Jan Sovak, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.

The Ultimate Dinosaur Field Guide, Klutz Press, 1999.

Looking Lousy, Morrow (New York, NY), 1999.

All the Dirt on Dinosaurs, illustrated by Kevin Wasden, Tor Kids (New York, NY), 2001.

Tyrannosaurus Rex, illustrated by Hall Train, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2002.

The Dinosaur Atlas: A Complete Look at the World of Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Firefly Books (New York, NY), 2003.

Dinosaurs A to Z: The Ultimate Dinosaur Encyclopedia, illustrated by Jan Sovak, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2004.

Fun with Learning: Dinosaurs, illustrated by Jan Sovak, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2005.

Dinosaurs (interactive book), illustrated by Phil Wilson, Publications International (Lincolnwood, IL), 2007.

Regular columnist for Highlights for Children magazine under name Dino Don; author and editor of Dino Times (newsletter). Contributor to periodicals, including Boston Globe and New York Times.

"WHEN DINOSAURS LIVED" SERIES; AS "DINO" DON LESSEM

Baby Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2001.

Biggest Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2001.

Giants of the Sky, illustrated by John Bindon, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2002.

Sea Monsters, illustrated by John Bindon, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2002.

"MEET THE DINOSAURS" SERIES; AS "DINO" DON LESSEM

Duck-billed Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Lerner (Minneapolis, MN), 2005.

The Fastest Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Lerner (Minneapolis, MN), 2005.

Feathered Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Lerner (Minneapolis, MN), 2005.

Giant Meat-eating Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Lerner (Minneapolis, MN), 2005.

Horned Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Lerner (Minneapolis, MN), 2005.

Sea Giants of Dinosaur Time, illustrated by John Bindon, Lerner (Minneapolis, MN), 2005.

The Smallest Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Lerner (Minneapolis, MN), 2005.

The Smartest Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Lerner (Minneapolis, MN), 2005.

Flying Giants of Dinosaur Time, illustrated by John Bindon, Lerner (Minneapolis, MN), 2005.

Giant Plant-eating Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Lerner (Minneapolis, MN), 2005.

The Deadliest Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Lerner (Minneapolis, MN), 2005.

Armored Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Lerner (Minneapolis, MN), 2005.

OTHER

How to Flatten Your Nose, Klutz Press, 1978.

Aerphobics: The Scientific Way to Stop Exercising (humor), Morrow (New York, NY), 1980.

The Worst of Everything: The Experts' Listing of the Most Loathsome and Deficient in Every Realm of Our Lives, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1988.

Kings of Creation: How a New Breed of Scientists Is Revolutionizing Our Understanding of Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Sibbick, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1992, published as Dinosaurs Rediscovered: New Findings Which Are Revolutionizing Dinosaur Science, Touchstone (New York, NY), 1993.

(With John R. Horner) The Complete T. Rex: How Stunning New Discoveries Are Changing Our Understanding of the World's Most Famous Dinosaur, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1993.

(With Donald F. Glut) The Dinosaur Society's Dinosaur Encyclopedia, Random House (New York, NY), 1993.

(With Spencer Koelle) Why French Women Smell Bad, Merde Press (Media,PA), 2005.

Sidelights

Science journalist and author Don Lessem specializes in writing nonfiction for children. His engaging style and contagious excitement about his topic, coupled with his dedication to providing accurate, accessible information, have made Lessem's books popular with readers and critics alike. Nicknamed "Dino" Don, Lessem is best known for his books on dinosaurs and the scientists who have dedicated their lives to uncovering the mysteries of these long-extinct creatures. Beginning his book-writing career with Life Is No Yuk for the Yak: A Book of Endangered Animals, which profiles endangered species alongside lighthearted limericks and Linda Bourke's cartoon illustrations, Lessem often combines science facts with humor. The majority of Lessem's books, which include Digging up Tyrannosaurus Rex, Dinosaurs A to Z: The Ultimate Dinosaur Encyclopedia, and Sea Giants of Dinosaur Time, outline the history of and current findings about a wide variety of dinosaurs: their discovery, habits, environments, and time periods.

Lessem's books on dinosaurs and paleontologists have garnered widespread praise for their ability to present detailed information in an attractive, uncluttered format. Critics have cited his prose style as both clear and inspirational, reflecting Lessem's own enthusiasm for his subject. "Dinosaurs are my writing life, at least much of it," the author once told SATA. "My job as I see it is to communicate the latest discoveries of dinosaurs to anyone who gives a hoot, especially kids. I do so via exhibits I build, such as Lost World; writing a column for Highlights for Children magazine; creating CD's for Microsoft; creating the largest dinosaur charity and its children's newspaper (the Dinosaur Society and Dino Times); creating Web sites; advising on theme parks and movies; writing and hosting Nova and Discovery documentaries; AND writing books." In his Highlights column, Lessem responds to over one thousand dino-related questions from young readers each year.

Born in 1951, Lessem first became interested in dinosaurs at age five. Years later, after studying biobehavioralism at the University of Massachusetts and establishing a career as a science writer for major newspapers, he traveled widely. When Lessem first began writing books in the late 1970s, he strayed from nonfiction to straight-out humor. Then, as he later recalled, in the late 1980s he began to focus almost exclusively on dino-related books. "I got onto dinosaurs visiting a Montana dig for a newspaper while an MIT science journalism fellow in 1988. I find the new discoveries, the remote locales, the characters who study dinosaurs, and the scavenger hunting that is much of the science to be continually fascinating. Many, at least those under the age of ten, share that interest, fortunately, or I'd be working nights at McDonald's."

Notable among Lessem's many books on dinosaurs are Dinosaur Worlds: New Dinosaurs, New Discoveries and Dinosaurs A to Z. In Dinosaur Worlds several of the

most important excavations yielding dinosaur remains are introduced to young readers. Lessem also provides information on the environments, prey, and life cycles of a large number of the prehistoric creatures. Dinosaur Worlds "is a book that report writers and dinophiles won't want to miss," averred Stephanie Zvirin in Booklist.

Dinosaurs A to Z assembles 700 entries and 350 color illustrations by Jan Sovak into a single volume that even the most knowledgeable dino buff will find illuminating. From habitat and diet to taxonomic classification and pronunciation guide, the volume presents its many facts in an easily accessible alphabetical format. Childhood Education reviewer Joseph McSparran praised the work as a "fascinating reference book" that serves as an "exciting and complete resource," while in Booklist a contributor noted that Lessem's text is "thorough and interesting and not too difficult for elementary-school readers, who will be excited to have this book." "Only dinosaurs are covered, with no flying reptiles or ichthyosaurs to confuse things," added School Library Journal contributor Steven Engelfried, the critic summing up Dinosaurs A to Z as an "attractive and useful resource."

In The Dinosaur Atlas Lessem collects even more facts about the ancient Earth-roamers, this time framing his text with the rise and ultimate fall of the prehistoric creatures. Geology, paleontology, the evolution of fifty different species, and the Earth's evolving ecosystem all come under examination, in a text that is "lively and enlightening, focusing on especially interesting examples rather than vague generalizations," in the opinion of Engelfried. Lessem breaks his subject into three sections, each representing a different era in dino evolution: Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous. He balances his focused text with informative sidebars, a well-researched bibliography, maps, and "excellent" illustrations by John Bindon that, according to a Booklist reviewer, add to the book's value. Praising both text and format in her Resource Links review, Judy Cottrell called The Dinosaur Atlas a "refreshing" and "wonderful book which takes a geographical approach to the study of dinosaurs."

Lessem profiles individual dinosaurs in such books as Raptors!: The Nastiest Dinosaurs, Ornithomimids: The Fastest Dinosaur, Troodon: The Smartest Dinosaur, Seismosaurus: The Longest Dinosaur, and Utahraptor: The Deadliest Dinosaur, all part of a series on special dinosaurs published by Carolrhoda. In each of these books, the author gathers information regarding the discovery of the fossil remains of each dinosaur type and the paleontologists who found them, as well as on how information about the creature's abilities and habits has been deduced from fossil evidence. Lessem then goes on to speculate about the possible evolutionary descendants of his subject. "Lessem treats a popular topic adeptly, humorously, and with a balance of information that is both relevant and stimulating to read," remarked Olga Kuharets in a review of both Seismosaurus and Utahraptor for School Library Journal. In her Booklist review of both Ornithominids and Troodon, Frances Bradburn commented that these "finely crafted" books offer "a fascinating look at how paleontologists discover the fossilized remains of these huge beasts." In addition, Lessem's texts have been praised by critics for their clarity and organization of a wealth of fascinating material.

Lessem's dedication to introducing children and adults to the lives of the scientists behind the scientific discoveries has yielded such works as Kings of Creation: How a New Breed of Scientists Is Revolutionizing Our Understanding of Dinosaurs and Jack Horner: Living with Dinosaurs. In Kings of Creation the author presents an overview of the wealth of new information that became available in the late twentieth century. Beginning in the 1970s, the popular image of dinosaurs was completely revised by a group of scientists who uncovered signs of intelligence, speed, and nurturing in species previously thought to be stupid, slow, and hostile even to their own offspring. Leading scientists, significant digs, and many new theories are all featured in a work in which Lessem, according to a reviewer for Publishers Weekly, "presents a lively sampling of current and significant work on dinosaurs worldwide…. This is the best

book on the subject since Robert Bakker's Dinosaur Heresies and a treat for buffs."

Jack Horner is a biography about John R. Horner, chief curator of paleontology at the University of Montana and a scientific advisor on the popular motion picture Jurassic Park. In this work, Lessem presents both personal background on Horner and information about the scientist's most famous discoveries. The author "writes with zest, showing the determination and excitement that accompanied Horner's explorations," remarked Susan Dove Lempke in a review of Jack Horner for the Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books. Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni noted in Appraisal that "Lessem's portrayal of Horner feels authentic: a plainspoken, quiet, thoughtful man who is most at home walking on the badlands where dinosaurs walked before him." Writing in the same publication, Patricia Manning maintained that Lessem's writing style in Jack Horner is "perfectly tailored to fourth and fifth graders," and a Kirkus Reviews writer concluded that the "book works thanks to Lessem's own enthusiasm for dinosaurs and his impressive knack for writing in kid-speak."

In his "Meet the Dinosaurs" series, Lessem addresses young dino fans. The dozen picture books in this collection pair basic facts with colorful illustrations by Bindon. Reviewing series titles Horned Dinosaurs, Armored Dinosaurs, and Giant Meat-eating Dinosaurs for School Library Journal, Steven Engelfried wrote that the "Meet the Dinosaurs" books "meet the perennial need for dinosaur books that offer the right combination of information and action." Focusing on the connection between dinosaurs and birds, Gillian Engberg wrote in Booklist that the "detailed drawings" and "simple language" in Feathered Dinosaurs will engage younger children and serve as a "fine place to start" for budding paleontologists. In a School Library Journal review of The Fastest Dinosaurs and Flying Giants of Dinosaur Time, Patricia Manning cited Lessem's "chatty style," and concluded: "Simple, eye-catching, and informative, these books will fly off the shelves."

Sometimes taking a break from dinosaurs, Lessem has also authored several nonfiction titles that focus on other topics of interest to him. In The Iceman he describes the discovery of a 5,000-year-old mummy in the mountains of Europe and explains what scientists have gleaned from the discovery regarding the life of prehistoric Europeans. Moving to South America, his book Inside the Amazing Amazon: Incredible Fold-out Cross Sections of the World's Greatest Rainforest combines Lessem's clearly written text with oversized, fold-out illustrations by Michael Rothman that detail plant and animal life in the world's largest rainforest. Another interest of Lessem's, the life of Genghis Khan, has also been the focus of research, and Lessem's international traveling exhibition The Genius of Genghis Khan was designed to coordinate with a planned biography. As the writer noted, Khan is "a much misunderstood figure."

Discussing his lifelong love affair with prehistoric creatures, Lessem more recently told SATA: "When I was five, my aunt Sylvie took me to see the T. Rex at the Natural History Museum in New York City. I still haven't recovered.

"When my own children were young, I was sent out to dinosaur digs in the American West by the Boston Globe. I fell in love with dinosaurs again, as did my children more briefly. For me it was, and remains, the mystery of lost worlds, the romance of exotic locales, and the detective work of the fossil scavenger hunt that excite me. My desire to communicate the wonders of nature—past and present—are what drives my work."

In addition to his career as a writer, Lessem is the founder of two dinosaur-related nonprofit organizations which have raised millions of dollars for dinosaur research: the Dinosaur Society and the Jurassic Foundation. In 1998 his Dinosaur Productions created the first full-size reproduction of the 45-foot-long Giganotosaurus, the largest of all land carnivores, for the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. The following year he erected the first skeleton mount of the 100-foot-long Argentinosaurus, the largest animal ever to walk the earth, for the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta. His natural-history touring exhibits featuring dinosaurs have appeared at the largest natural history museums in North America. "My aspiration," he once told SATA, "is to continue providing children with what for so long they have craved and lacked: current and accurate information on new scientific discoveries and the methods behind them.Their early fascination with dinosaurs, well-cultivated, can spread to a lifetime interest in all of science."

Biographical and Critical Sources

PERIODICALS

Appraisal, winter, 1995, Patricia Manning and Evelyn Tiffany-Castiglioni, reviews of Jack Horner: Living with Dinosaurs, pp. 112-114; winter-spring, 1996, pp. 35-36.

Booklist, April 1, 1992, Jon Kartman, review of Kings of Creation: How a New Breed of Scientists Is Revolutionizing Our Understanding of Dinosaurs, p. 1419; February 15, 1996, Frances Bradburn, review of Ornithomimids and Troodon, p. 1014; September 1, 1996, p. 997; November 15, 1996, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Dinosaur Worlds, pp. 583-584; December 15, 2003, review of Dinosaurs A to Z, p. 766; March 1, 2004, review of The Dinosaur Atlas, p. 1228; June 1, 2005, Gillian Engberg, review of Feathered Dinosaurs, p. 1816.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September, 1994, review of The Iceman, p. 17; December, 1994, Susan Dove Lempke, review of Jack Horner, p. 135.

Childhood Education, summer, 2004, Joseph McSparran, review of Dinosaurs A to Z, p. 212.

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 1994, p. 702; December 1, 1995, p. 1703; November 15, 1994, review of Jack Horner, p. 1534.

Publishers Weekly, March 2, 1992, review of Kings of Creation, p. 58; November 4, 1996, review of Dinosaur World, p. 78.

Resource Links, October, 2003, Judy Cottrell, review of The Dinosaur Atlas, p. 25.

School Library Journal, March, 1978, p. 138; July, 1994, Jeanette Larson, review of The Iceman, p. 111; January, 1996, Susan Oliver, review of Inside the Amazing Amazon: Incredible Fold-out Cross Sections of the World's Greatest Rainforest, p. 120; September, 1996, Olga Kuharets, review of Seismosaurus and Utahraptor, p. 218; October, 1996, Cathryn A. Camper, review of Raptors!: The Nastiest Dinosaurs, pp. 135-136; September, 1997, Cathryn A. Camper, review of Supergiants!: The Biggest Dinosaurs, p. 232; December, 1997, Cathryn A. Camper review of Bigger than T. Rex, p. 140; December, 2003, Steven Engelfried, review of Dinosaurs A to Z and The Dinosaur Atlas, p. 170; February, 2005, Steven Engelfried, review of Armored Dinosaurs, p. 123; July, 2005, Patricia Manning, review of The Smartest Dinosaurs and The Fastest Dinosaurs, both p. 90; September, 2005, Patricia Manning, review of Sea Giants of Dinosaur Time, p. 193.

Voice of Youth Advocates, August, 1997, review of Dinosaur Worlds, p. 165; April, 2004, Rollie Welch, review of Scholastic Dinosaurs, A to Z, p. 68.

ONLINE

Boyds Mills Press Web site,http://www.boydsmillspress.com/ (August 27, 2007), "Don Lessem."

Dino Don's Dinosaur World,http://www.dinodon.com (August 27, 2007).

LESSEM, Don 1951-

PERSONAL: Born December 2, 1951, in New York, NY; son of Lawrence (a dentist) and Gertrude (a psychologist; maiden name, Goldman) Lessem; divorced; children: Rebecca, Erica. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: Brandeis University, B.A. (cum laude), 1973; also attended University of Massachusetts—Boston, 1976, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1988. Politics: "Anarchist." Religion: Jewish. Hobbies and other interests: Travel, sports.

ADDRESSES: Home and office—Fax: 617-527-7752. Agent—Al Zuckerman, Writers House, 21 West 26th St., New York, NY 10010. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Dinosaur Productions, president, 1995—; Dinosaur Exhibitions, president, 1996—. Jurassic Foundation, founder. Writer and consultant; technical advisor for films and theme parks, including the film Jurassic Park.

MEMBER: Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

AWARDS, HONORS: Winner of several awards from National Science Teachers Association for his children's books.

WRITINGS:

Life Is No Yuk for the Yak: A Book of Endangered Animals, illustrated by Linda Bourke, Crane Russak (New York, NY), 1977.

How to Flatten Your Nose, Klutz Press, 1980.

Aerphobics: The Scientific Way to Stop Exercising (humor), William Morrow (New York, NY), 1980.

The Worst of Everything: The Experts' Listing of the Most Loathsome and Deficient in Every Realm of Our Lives, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1988.

(With John R. Horner) Digging Up Tyrannosaurus Rex, Crown (New York, NY), 1992.

Kings of Creation: How a New Breed of Scientists Is Revolutionizing Our Understanding of Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Sibbick, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1992, published as Dinosaurs Rediscovered: New Findings Which Are Revolutionizing Dinosaur Science, Touchstone (New York, NY), 1993.

(With John R. Horner) The Complete T. Rex: How Stunning New Discoveries Are Changing Our Understanding of the World's Most Famous Dinosaur, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1993.

(With Donald F. Glut) The Dinosaur Society's Dinosaur Encyclopedia, Random House (New York, NY), 1993.

The Iceman, Crown (New York, NY), 1994.

Jack Horner: Living with Dinosaurs, illustrated by Janet Hamlin, Scientific American Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 1994.

Inside the Amazing Amazon: Incredible Fold-out Cross Sections of the World's Greatest Rainforest, illustrated by Michael Rothman, Crown (New York, NY), 1995.

Ornithomimids: The Fastest Dinosaur, illustrated by Donna Braginetz, Carolrhoda Books (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

Raptors! The Nastiest Dinosaurs, illustrated by David Peters, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1996.

Seismosaurus: The Longest Dinosaur, illustrated by Donna Braginetz, Carolrhoda Books (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

Troodon: The Smartest Dinosaur, illustrated by Donna Braginetz, Carolrhoda Books (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

Utahraptor: The Deadliest Dinosaur, illustrated by Donna Braginetz, Carolrhoda Books (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

Dinosaur Worlds: New Dinosaurs, New Discoveries, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1996.

Supergiants! The Biggest Dinosaurs, illustrated by David Peters, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1997.

Bigger Than T. Rex: The Discovery of Gigantosorus, the Biggest Meat-Eating Dinosaur Ever Found, illustrated by Robert F. Walters, Crown (New York, NY), 1997.

All the Dirt on Dinosaurs, illustrated by Kevin Wasden, Tor Kids (New York, NY), 1998.

Dinosaurs to Dodos: An Encyclopedia of Extinct Animals, illustrated by Jan Sovak, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.

Scholastic Dinosaur Dictionary, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.

Biggest Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2001.

Baby Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2001.

Giants of the Sky, illustrated by John Bindon, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2002.

(With Hall Train) Triceratops, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2002.

Monsters of the Sea, illustrated by John Bindon, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2002.

(With Hall Train) T. Rex, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2002.

The Dinosaur Atlas: A Complete Look at the World of Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Firefly Books (Buffalo, NY), 2003.

Scholastic Dinosaurs A to Z: The Ultimate Dinosaur Encyclopedia, illustrated by Jan Sovak, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.

Dino Don's Dinosaur Atlas, Key Porter Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2003.

Television writer and program host for the series Discovery and Nova, both for Public Broadcasting Service. Columnist, Highlights for Children.

WORK IN PROGRESS: The Smallest Dinosaurs, Giant Meat-Eating Dinosaurs, Duck-Billed Dinosaurs, Armored Dinosaurs, Giant Plant-Eating Dinosaurs, and Horned Dinosaurs, all in "Meet the Dinosaurs" series, illustrated by John Bindon, publication by Lerner Publications (Minneapolis, MN) expected in 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: Don Lessem once commented to CA: "Dinosaurs are my writing life, at least much of it. My job as I see it is to communicate the latest discoveries of dinosaurs to anyone who gives a hoot, especially kids. I do so via exhibits I build, such as 'Lost World' or 'Chinese Dinosaurs'; writing a column for Highlights magazine; creating the largest dinosaur charity; recreating the largest dinosaurs; advising on theme parks and movies; writing and hosting Nova and Discovery documentaries; AND writing books.

"While I've also written books on Amazon animals and mummies, I got onto dinosaurs visiting a Montana dig for a newspaper while a science journalism fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1988. I love the new discoveries, the remote locales, the characters who study dinosaurs, and the scavenger hunting that is much of the science. Many people, at least those under the age of ten, share that interest, fortunately, or I'd be working nights at McDonald's."

Lessem, whose engaging style and evident excitement about his topics, coupled with his dedication to providing accurate, accessible information on his subjects, has authored books popular with readers and critics alike. Nicknamed "Dino Don," Lessem is best known for his volumes on dinosaurs and the scientists who have dedicated their lives to uncovering the mysteries of these long-extinct animals. His first books, including Life Is No Yuk for the Yak, in which profiles of endangered species are accompanied by lighthearted limericks and Linda Bourke's cartoon illustrations, often combine science with a humorous approach. The majority of his books outline the history of and current findings about a wide variety of dinosaurs—their discovery, habits, environments, and time periods.

In addition to writing about dinosaurs, Lessem is the author of a book on the Amazon rainforest, Inside the Amazing Amazon: Incredible Fold-out Cross Sections of the World's Greatest Rainforest, in which the text augments oversize fold-out illustrations by Michael Rothman that detail plant and animal life in the world's largest rainforest. He is also the creator of The Iceman, a book describing the discovery of a 5,000-year-old mummy in the mountains of Europe and what scientists gleaned from it about the life of prehistoric Europeans, and Jack Horner: Living with Dinosaurs, a biography about John R. Horner, the chief curator of paleontology at the University of Montana and the scientific advisor on the film Jurassic Park; he is also a friend of the author. A writer who studied biobehavioralism and science journalism, Lessem is the founder of several dinosaur-related organizations, including the Dinosaur Foundation, Dinosaur Productions, and Dinosaur Exhibitions.

Notable among Lessem's many books on dinosaurs is Dinosaur Worlds: New Dinosaurs, New Discoveries, a work in which several of the most important sites where dinosaur remains have been found are introduced to the reader; Lessem also provides information on the environments, prey, and life cycles of a large number of the creatures. This "is a book that report writers and dinophiles won't want to miss," commented Stephanie Zvirin in Booklist. Lessem's books on individual dinosaurs include Raptors! The Nastiest Dinosaurs, Ornithomimids: The Fastest Dinosaur, Troodon: The Smartest Dinosaur, Seismosaurus: The Longest Dinosaur, and Utahraptor: The Deadliest Dinosaur, all part of a series on special dinosaurs published by Carolrhoda in 1996. In these books, Lessem gathers information on the discovery of the fossil remains of each dinosaur type and the paleontologists who found them as well as on how information about their abilities and habits has been deduced from the fossil evidence; in addition, the author speculates about possible evolutionary descendants of his subjects. "Lessem treats a popular topic adeptly, humorously, and with a balance of information that is both relevant and stimulating to read," remarked Olga Kuharets in a review of Seismosaurus and Utahraptor in School Library Journal. In her Booklist review of Ornithomimids and Troodon, Frances Bradburn commented that these "finely crafted" books offer "a fascinating look at how paleontologists discover the fossilized remains of these huge beasts." In addition, Lessem's texts are praised by critics for their clarity and organization of a wealth of fascinating material.

The Dinosaur Atlas: A Complete Look at the World of Dinosaurs is divided into the three eras in which dinosaurs lived, the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. Each section includes its own map showing where the various dinosaurs of the period were found on the continents as they then existed. The text studies each dinosaur and the environment in which it lived and is accompanied by facts in a sidebar titled "Dino Don Says." The book offers information on digs that students can visit, as well as Web sites that provide related information. In a review for Resource Links, Judy Cottrell wrote that The Dinosaur Atlas "is a wonderful book which takes a geographical approach to the study of dinosaurs."

Scholastic Dinosaurs A to Z: The Ultimate Dinosaur Encyclopedia, written at the elementary school level, presents dinosaurs alphabetically along with complete details about each. Common names point to the original scientific names, and many of the dinosaurs are shown in full-page color illustrations. Lessem tells readers how to participate in a dig and offers a bibliography of books, Web sites, videos, expeditions, and museums. School Library Journal's Steven Engelfried called the volume "an attractive and useful resource."

Lessem's dedication to introducing children and adults to the lives of the scientists behind the scientific discoveries has yielded such works as Kings of Creation: How a New Breed of Scientists Is Revolutionizing Our Understanding of Dinosaurs and Jack Horner: Living with Dinosaurs. In Kings of Creation, the author presents an overview of the explosion of new information that has become available over the last three decades, in which the popular image of dinosaurs has been completely revised by a group of scientists who have uncovered signs of intelligence, speed, and nurturing in species previously thought to be stupid, slow, and hostile even to their own offspring. Leading scientists, significant digs, and the new theories are all presented in a work in which Lessem, according to a reviewer for Publishers Weekly, "presents a lively sampling of current and significant work on dinosaurs worldwide. . . . This is the best book on the subject since Robert Bakker's Dinosaur Heresies and a treat for buffs."

In Lessem's book about Horner, the paleontologist with whom Lessem has written two books and with whom he worked as a consultant on the immensely popular film Jurassic Park, the author presents both personal background about Horner and his most famous scientific discoveries.

Lessem's books on dinosaurs and paleontologists have garnered widespread praise for their accumulation of a wealth of information on a topic of interest to many children. This information is consistently presented in an attractive, uncluttered format, in prose that critics consider both clear and inspirational, displaying the author's own enthusiasm for his subject. Lessem's books on the scientists whose lives have been dedicated to revising and augmenting what is known about dinosaurs display similar qualities, according to the author's reviewers.

"My aspiration," Lessem once commented,"is to continue providing children with what for so long they have lacked—current and accurate information on new scientific discoveries and the methods behind them in hopes of feeding their mania for dinosaurs and spreading it to all of science as a lifetime interest.

"I'm doing so most recently by not only writing but 'packaging' books, providing illustrators and graphics for publishers. I hope to continue as long as dinosaurs are still alive, at least in the imaginations of many of us."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Scientist, May-June, 1993, Thomas J. Rossbach, review of Kings of Creation: How a New Breed of Scientists Is Revolutionizing Our Understanding of Dinosaurs, p. 1480.

Appraisal, winter, 1995, pp. 112-114; winter-spring, 1996, pp. 35-36.

BioScience, March, 1995, Philip W. Signor, review of The Complete T. Rex: How Stunning New Discoveries Are Changing Our Understanding of the World's Most Famous Dinosaur, p. 221.

Booklist, April 1, 1992, Jon Kartman, review of Kings of Creation, p. 1419; January 15, 1993, Hazel Rochman, review of Digging Up Tyrannosaurus Rex, p. 896; April 15, 1993, John Kartman, review of The Complete T. Rex, p. 1480; April 15, 1994, review of The Dinosaur Society's Dinosaur Encyclopedia, p. 1551; November 1, 1994, Ilene Cooper, review of The Iceman, p. 496; November 15, 1994, Denia Hester, review of Jack Horner: Living with Dinosaurs, p. 596; October 1, 1995, Carolyn Phelan, review of Inside the Amazing Amazon: Incredible Fold-out Cross Sections of the World's Greatest Rainforest, p. 310; February 15, 1996, Frances Bradburn, review of Ornithomimids: The Fastest Dinosaur and Troodon: The Smartest Dinosaur, p. 1014; September 1, 1996, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Raptors! The Nastiest Dinosaurs, p. 121; p. 997; November 15, 1996, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Dinosaur Worlds: New Dinosaurs, New Discoveries, pp. 583-584; December 15, 2003, review of Scholastic Dinosaurs A to Z: The Ultimate Dinosaur Encyclopedia, p. 766; March 1, 2004, review of The Dinosaur Atlas: A Complete Look at the World of Dinosaurs, p. 1228.

Book Report, May-June, 1997, Joyce B. Fisher, review of Dinosaur Worlds, p. 42.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September, 1994, p. 17; December, 1994, p. 135.

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 1994, p. 702; November 15, 1994, p. 1534; December 1, 1995, p. 1703.

Library Journal, April 15, 1992, Amy Brunvand, review of Kings of Creation, p. 118.

People, June 21, 1993, Jill Rachlin, review of The Complete T. Rex, p. 27; July 5, 1993, William Plummer, "Mr. Dinosaur," p. 69.

Publishers Weekly, March 2, 1992, review of Kings of Creation, p. 58; November 4, 1996, p. 78; January 20, 2003, "Dino-mite!," p. 85.

Quarterly Review of Biology, June, 1993, Edwin H. Colbert, review of Kings of Creation, p. 255.

Resource Links, October, 2003, Judy Cottrell, review of The Dinosaur Atlas, p. 25.

School Library Journal, March, 1978, p. 138; July, 1994, Jeanette Larson, review of The Iceman, p. 111; January, 1996, Susan Oliver, review of Inside the Amazing Amazon, p. 120; April, 1996, Cathryn A. Camper, review of Ornithomimids and Troodon, p. 147; September, 1996, Olga Kuharets, review of Seismosaurus: The Longest Dinosaur and Utahraptor: The Deadliest Dinosaur, p. 218; October, 1996, Cathryn A. Camper, review of Raptors!, pp. 135-136; December, 1996, Cathryn A. Camper, review of Dinosaur Worlds, p. 131; September, 1997, Cathryn A. Camper, review of Supergiants! The Biggest Dinosaurs, p. 232; December, 1997, Cathryn A. Camper, review of Bigger Than T. Rex: The Discovery of Gigantosorus, the Biggest Meat-Eating Dinosaur Ever Found, p. 140; December, 2003, Steven Engelfried, review of The Dinosaur Atlas and Scholastic Dinosaurs A to Z, p. 170.

Science Teacher, October, 1993, Richard Thomas, review of Dinosaurs Rediscovered: New Findings Which Are Revolutionizing Dinosaur Science, p. 80.

Scientific American, December, 1993, Philip Morrison and Phylis Morrison, review of Digging Up Tyrannosaurus Rex, p. 132; December, 1994, Philip Morrison and Phylis Morrison, review of The Iceman, p. 121.

Wilson Library Bulletin, April, 1994, James Rettig, review of The Dinosaur Society's Dinosaur Encyclopedia, p. 88.