THE DINOSAURS OF WATERHOUSE HAWKINSby Barbara Kerley, illustrated by Brian Selznick (Scholastic)
In 1853, nobody knew what a dinosaur looked like, but thanks to Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, that was about to change. Using his imaginative genius he pieced together the puzzling fossils to create the first life-sized models of dinosaurs! To unveil his masterpieces, Waterhouse sent out invitations inscribed on a pterydactl wing for a dinner party on New Year's Eve. A feast was served inside a gigantic model iguanadon! You'd think everyone would want to be friends with a guy who could throw a party like that, but alas, when then great artist Waterhouse crosses the Atlantic and the corrupt New York politician Boss Tweed, some of Waterhouse's Paleozoic pals come to harm. The truth is stranger than fiction in this fabulous picture-book biography, paying homage to the life of a man who brought imagination to life and art and science together. If you can't physically visit the Waterhouse's creations at the Crystal Palace in Sydenham, England, Selznick's magical and meticulously researched illustrations will take you there. The efforts and execution of this book are a tour de force, and are sure to be the biggest thing to hit your book collection since T-Rex. (7 and up)
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