by John Morris and Ken Ham
1990 / 32 pages
Some children, it seems, are born with a love for all things dinosaurs while others might need their curiosity stirred. In parental hands, What Really Happened to the Dinosaurs? could do some real stirring. Colorful watercolor graphics accompany a narrative journey about the dinosaurs – Tracker John and his dinosaur friend DJ take us to the beginning of history, when God made dinosaurs on the sixth day. They discover clues which teach them why dinosaurs are different than other land animals. As we travel along with Tracker John, we see how sin changed God’s good creation, and how the Flood may have life for the dinosaurs.
One neat aspect of this large hardcover picture book is the many illustrations of dinosaurs and humans living side by side. This is a fact of history that is denied by secular scientists, but has such power to capture a child’s imagination.
Children in the second grade and younger will enjoy having this book read out loud to them, and the rainbow of colors used in the artwork will draw in young eyes. However, some more technical paragraphs will need to be summarized or skipped to make this a more attainable read-aloud for preschool kids aged 3 to 5. Older elementary kids in turn might find some of the watercolor graphics to be childish.
This book is therefore a great selection for the parent who wants to encourage their young children to study God’s big world, even when the topics can be confusing. But it does require some effort on the adult reader’s part to make the words interesting and understandable to their young listeners.
