WHEN DINOS DAWNED, MAMMALS GOT MUNCHED, & PTEROSAURS TOOK FLIGHT: A CARTOON PREHISTORY OF LIFE IN THE TRIASSIC

WHEN DINOS DAWNED, MAMMALS GOT MUNCHED, & PTEROSAURS TOOK FLIGHT: A CARTOON PREHISTORY OF LIFE IN THE TRIASSIC, written and illustrated by Hannah Bonner (National Geographic 2012)(ages 8+).  In this follow-up to WHEN BUGS WERE BIG, PLANTS WERE STRANGE, AND TETRAPODS STALKED THE EARTH and WHEN FISH GOT FEET, SHARKS GOT TEETH, AND BUGS BEGAN TO SWARM, Bonner explores (in 48-page picture book format) the Triassic, the period when dinosaurs, mammals, and pterosaurs all first appeared.

Bonner's illustrations are lively and fun, while providing a detailed look at the flora and fauna of the era.  The text, too, is engaging, full of wit, and surprisingly comprehensive.  Altogether, a terrific introduction to the dawn of the dinosaurs. 

Here's a Cynsations interview with Bonner from 2008.    

WHEN FISH GOT FEET, SHARKS GOT TEETH, AND BUGS BEGAN TO SWARM

WHEN FISH GOT FEET, SHARKS GOT TEETH, AND BUGS BEGAN TO SWARM: A Cartoon Prehistory of Life Long before Dinosaurs, written and illustrated by Hannah Bonner, National Geographic (2007). Ever wonder what the world was like before the dinosaurs? In this lively picture book, author/illustrator Bonner tells of the Earth during the Silurian and Devonian periods of the Paleozoic Era, from about 430 million years ago to about 350 million years ago.

Filled with fun facts about the evolution of fish, the development of forests, and how animals got feet. A quirky and engaging introduction to the development of life on land.