Dinosaur Feathers

In poetic nonfiction with glorious illustrations, Dennis Nolan explains how dinosaurs evolved into birds. Millions of years ago, dinosaurs roamed the shores of Mesozoic seas. Large and fearsome, they ruled the earth, until gradually, there were no dinosaurs left. But they didn’t disappear completely. Some dinosaurs had feathers, which grew and grew…until all through the skies were hundreds of species of birds, which flew and flew.

“Viewers get ringside seats as dinosaurs march past in an evolutionary parade, giving way to their modern avian representatives. . . . A prehistoric progress that takes flight in more ways than one.”—Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review

“The clever writing is accompanied by truly stunning illustrations; the dinosaurs, so often portrayed in dull earth tones, almost burst off these pages in a glorious array of colors rendered in exquisitely detailed paintings, and their avian descendants are given the same spectacular treatment. . . . Parents may find themselves with both a budding paleontologist and ornithologist by the time this book is put down.”—Booklist, Starred Review

“This nonfiction poetry offering will satisfy young dino enthusiasts and draw in others who will appreciate the rhythm and rhyme, as well as Nolan’s lovely watercolor illustrations. . . . Make room on the shelf for this original addition to your dinosaur collection.”—School Library Journal

“Nolan. . . beautifully pairs a clever rhyming text with luminous watercolors to express, for very young readers, the evolutionary link between several-million-year-old dinosaurs and modern-day birds”—The Horn Book