Simple, repetitive text and engaging illustrations follow an allosaurus from birth to adulthood. Three-word sentences feature basic vocabulary and consistent structure: “I am Allosaurus. I can hide. I am Allosaurus. I can hunt.” The simple sentence structure makes the book accessible to the earliest readers, while dynamic drawings provide excitement. Two-page spreads depict the dinosaur exploring its world with caution, then becoming more active as it grows. The young dinosaur hunts and eats a dragonfly. The adult allosaurus chooses a large stegosaurus as its prey. Physical features are conveyed accurately, with just the right touch of personality in the protagonist’s eyes. Clear, uncluttered layouts focus on the allosaurus with a good variety of perspectives as it interacts with other creatures in the prehistoric setting; the other animals are not identified by species. The final illustrated spread shows its skeleton in a museum: “I am Allosaurus. I am extinct.” A closing section provides details about the allosaurus and lists the time periods when it existed, expanding on the intentionally limited information. This could be useful to teachers, parents, and caregivers. VERDICT An appealing choice for beginning readers who like dinosaurs and action.–Steven Engelfried, Wilsonville Public Library, OR
The extreme terseness of the text and patterned repetition makes this an ideal choice for dinosaur lovers just stretching their own independent-reading legs. Along with depicting his dino with an arresting pattern of deep black stripes on a bright pink body, with vivid blue rings around its eyes, Bradley follows a current train of paleontological thought by adding a ruff of hairy feathers that vanishes as the animal matures. Dramatic shifts in perspective neatly capture scale as the reptile grows...Meat and potatoes—er, more meat for hatchling dinosaur fans, with unusually eye-catching art.
A great addition to a dinosaur collection. This is even more valuable because the dinosaur books are often geared for older children, so this adds depth to the section. Illustrations pop off of the page, and it is simple yet teaches many facts.
While "I am Allosaurus" is unreservedly recommended for elementary school and community library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of young dinosaur fans that "I am Allosaurus" is also available in a paperback edition.
While "I am Allosaurus" is unreservedly recommended for elementary school and community library collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of young dinosaur fans that "I am Allosaurus" is also available in a paperback edition
I Am Allosaurus is ideal for early readers. With visually exciting illustrations and words that are understandable to young readers, I Am Allosaurus shows how the dinosaur goes from being born to being an adult to being extinct. Allosaurus is an actual type of dinosaur that lived, and this book would be a good base to talk to children about dinosaurs or that particular species.
A great addition to a dinosaur collection. This is even more valuable because the dinosaur books are often geared for older children, so this adds depth to the section. Illustrations pop off of the page, and it is simple yet teaches many facts.
Big, bold illustrations march across double-page spreads with brightly-patterned dinosaurs and lush plants. The informational pages at the end give additional information about this dinosaur, as well as the speculative nature of the colors. Let's face it--there isn't much information here, and the visual information may be incorrect. On the other hand, there isn't a lot out there for very beginning readers, especially on dinosaurs, and the repetition will lead to early reading success.