Ultimate Dinosaurs by Ben Garrod (Zephyr, 2023)
Occasionally these days, I'm sometimes reminded of the odd little crazes that swept me up as a kid of the 1980s. From Madballs to M.U.S.C.L.E. men via cereal-packet surprises, they all occasionally pop up - often on eBay! - to produce a nostalgic smile. The most recent buried memory re-surfaced when I read the blurb of Ben Garrod's series Ultimate Dinosaurs (I'll leave the reader of this blog to fathom which toy series it was!):
"Put a dinosaur in your pocket and start your greatest adventure!"
But the connection to the child-like fascination with the collectable is no whimsy. Whether it's toys, cards, books, children love a series. Victor Watson wrote a brilliant book about the lure - and learning - that series fiction holds. Non-fiction has found triumphant success (and many readers) in Horrible Histories and Football School to name but two popular series, and the Ultimate Dinosaurs books look set to take over a similar position on the shelves of Natural History.
The writing in this series of prehistorica is both immediately engaging and reassuringly accurate. Ultimate Dinosaurs take the best of the best non-fiction books currently available for children - a straightforward and supportive prose style, detailed but clear illustrative matter, factually up-to-the-minute research - and tap into that love of series that (nigh-universally) hooks children into reading for their own pleasure.
He knows his audience and while the books will undoubtedly be picked up too by complete novices, Garrod understands that the already dino-mad fans will be most intrigued: there's helpful asides guiding pronunciation, but not to the extent that they get in the way of the flow of information - it's assumed that the reader will know how to say Tyrannosaurus, even Hadrosaur, but not necessarily Baryonyx or Suchomimus.
There is also a 'New Science' section in the books, which brings the reader up to speed on the latest findings and thinking. There's a freindly authority to this which, to me, seems like a pretty good way of children being taken seriously by the very top scientists, of helping them feel that their passion and interest matters. They will of course be the generation that questions what we know now and go on to discover even more: the science never ends. As Garrod writes, for example:
"With each new discovery, our understanding of Anklyosaurus grows."
What an invitation!
The series also offers asides from other experts in the field - some particularly famous, like Chris Packham and Jane Goodall, and it is great to see the representation of women in science placed firmly at the centre of these publications with contributions from Dr. Jess French and Mary Gagen in the Anklyosaurus and Microraptor books respectively.
Finally, the covers of this new series are not only stunningly exciting but also factually accurate, painted by the 'paleo-artist', Gabriel Ugueto.
Ultimate Dinosaurs is a series that is destined to be popular with children everywhere, and which really must find its way into every library and junior classroom.
* In the interests of accuracy, it should be noted that some of the dinosaurs in the 'Ultimate' series, such as Anklyosaurus and Microraptor, were not around during the Jurassic period. Still, it makes for a good 'dino book' blog-title...
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Eight new editions of the Ultimate Dinosaurs series were published by Zephyr on 14th September 2023. Thanks to Courtney Jefferies and Zephyr for the review copies and the blog tour invite!
