Friday, June 7, 2013

New Book Giveaway! What I Knew About Dinosaurs...

...would've fit on the head of a pin. Or maybe a thumbtack. One of my sons was dino-crazed, back in the day, and I stepped on my share of spiny plastic stegosaurs. But it's been awhile.

So when my National Geographic Kids editor asked me to author Angry Birds Playground:  Dinosaurs, I hesitated for a second before jumping in. But only a second.


(Re)learning all things dinosaur was a blast. New species are being discovered all the time, often by everyday folks. I had no idea how far we'd come in our dino knowledge. A tiny sampling:

-Scientists know what certain dinos ate because they sometimes find bones from smaller animals lying   in the stomach area of a dino skeleton.
-Slower-moving dinos often had deadly, whip-like tails to fight off predators.
-Dino bones have been discovered on every continent – including Antarctica.
-Scientists used to believe a Stegosaurus could flap the plates on its back to keep itself cool.

So where do the Angry Birds come in? Here's the copy from the back cover:

"It's an extraordinary day on Piggy Island because the Angry Birds haven't lost their eggs, they've FOUND something amazing:  a bone! Not a plain old bone – a HUGE and very old bone. What kind of giant creature could this bone have come from? That's a question for Mighty Eagle – the wisest bird they know. Join the Angry Birds on their imaginary trip through time to discover the most awesome animals ever to roam this planet:  the dinosaurs!"

As Mighty Eagle helps the Birds imagine prehistoric times, they all wear tiny animals skins and bones in their head feathers, ala Bamm-Bamm Rubble. Very cute.

The book also answers these questions . . . 

-What was Earth like in the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous time periods? 
-How are fossils created? 
-How do scientists determine a fossil's age? 
-How are dinosaurs related to modern birds?
-How are all those dino names pronounced?  

Throughout the book, Franco Tempesta's spectacular paintings give kids an idea of how dinosaurs might have looked (click on his name to see for yourself!). His colorful and realistic dinos (48 of them!) all but leap off the pages.

Back matter includes a world map showing where various dinosaur bones have been found, a fun-filled quiz, a glossary, and dino-related activities for kids.

If you know a dinosaur-loving kid, or one who is nuts about the Angry Birds, enter below to win a copy of Angry Birds Playground:  Dinosaurs (National Geographic). In your comment, please let us know who you'd be sharing the book with.

Entry deadline:  June 19th

Jill Esbaum

If you've never entered a Rafflecopter giveaway, you may want to first read their info on how to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway and/or the difference between signing in with Facebook vs. with an email address. Email subscribers: if you received this post via email, you can click on the Rafflecopter link at the end of this message to access the entry form.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

22 comments:

Janet Halfmann: http://www.janethalfmannauthor.com said...

I'd love to win this book for my grandson. Thanks for the giveaway!

kt giorgio said...

The Giorgio kids will be excited to hear about this book!

Nora Lester Murad, Palestine said...

If I win, I'll give it to my 9-year old who loves books and has yet to get into dinosaurs (for lack of the right book, I'm sure).

jan godown annino said...

Sounds like such FUN with cool kid-centric facts & it's always good to stretch out of our information zones.
Plus, NG KIDS! + your skills - a winning combo Jill.
Not entering, but so cool to know of your new one.
Long live Angry Birds!

trager said...

My seven-year-old son would adore this book! We have watched several shows on the NatGeo channel about dinosaurs and fossils. He is a fan of Angry Birds, too (Angry Birds/Star Wars combo is also popular), so this would be a fantastic book to encourage him to keep up his reading skills over the summer. Very cool!

Jill said...

Thanks for entering, everybody! Stay tuned...

Jill

Jeanne Marie Grunwell Ford said...

Congrats, Jill! We will definitely be reading this book in our household.

Jill said...

Nice to hear, Jeanne Marie!

Carmela Martino said...

Posting this comment on behalf of Karen Ganon, who is also entering the giveaway:
>>The book sounds like a lot of fun. I would have it in my classroom, and share it with my third graders.<<

Jill said...

Thanks for entering, Karen!

Anonymous said...

If I won this book I would share it with my 5 year old son who has just completed kindergarten, and he would share it with his two year old brother who he loves to teach about dinosaurs !

Jill said...

Great! Thanks for entering. :)

April Halprin Wayland said...

Woo, Woo, Jill--congratulations!!!!

Jill said...

Thanks, April. It was a fun one to research.

Penny Parker Klostermann said...

I love your books!!!! Tom's Tweet is one of my faves!! I taught 26 years and now substitute. I always take books to read to the students (They loved Tom's Tweet!) So besides enjoying it myself, I will share with the classrooms when I substitute.
And HUGE congrats!!!!

Jill said...

Penny, you just made my day. :) Thanks!

D.E. Malone said...

Hi Jill! Congrats on the new book! I would HAVE to share this book with my niece and two nephews who are the dinosaur-loving ages of 3, 5, and 7!
Thanks for the giveaway!

Pam said...

I've shared dinosaur books with my students and nieces and nephews for years. I now have a little grandnephew who is totally hooked on dinosaurs. This is a great book for us to share together!

Jill said...

Thanks, Dawn. They're the perfect ages for this!

Pam, LOTS of dino info in this one! And the pics are gorgeous. :)

Anonymous said...

This sounds like a book that any number of kids I know would love!

Unknown said...

You're never too old to love learning more about dinosaurs. Thanks for sharing this book and blog post with the June Carnival of Children's Literature.

Jill said...

I hope so, alibrarymama!
Lizann, I DID love it, too. So much more info in the past 20 years or so. Unbelievable.