Review: Dinosaur Tree

Dinosaur Tree by Douglas Henderson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I heard about this book in reference to its wonderful illustrations. And the illustrations are indeed fabulous! However, there are at least two things that prevent it from being a perfect book for kids. First, too many words. Yes, I know, it's often easier to say what you mean and to carry the emotions with a lot of words, rather than a few, but in a children's book that won't do. Second, from a book about a tree, I would expect more of a "tree perspective" probably. It's easy to slip into that notion that everything is born, killed and then fossilized. And as someone who has seen the Painted Desert and the Petrified Forrest, I understand the sentiment. What we see now seems so extraordinary, it's easy to forget it's a coincidence and chance, rather than something that had to happen. A bit of more focus on the tree's life cycle would remedy the situation. For example, why was such a crucial moment in the tree's life as starting producing seeds completely left out of the narrative?

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