Monday, December 17, 2012

Dinosaurs Before Dark by Osborne - ESSENTIAL


Osborne, Mary Pope  Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House Special Edition), 77 pgs.  Random House Children's Books, 2012. $ 15.99.  Language: G ( 0 swears, 0 “f”); Mature Content: G; Violence : G.  

Brother and sister pair, Jack and Annie discover a treehouse that serves as a magical time travel machine right in the woods behind their home. In this first book in the iconic series, Jack and Annie travel to prehistoric times and discover that they can have great adventures and be home in time for dinner. 

Originally written in 1992, the special edition includes updated color illustrations and bonus author's notes. Also included are dinosaur facts from the Magic Tree House Fact Tracker, a non-fiction companion to the novel.

Having made my way through the series three times now as a parent, I found this special edition a refreshing update to what has become an early reader classic. A nice feature is the MTHClassroomAdventures.org, which provides resources for teachers to better incorporate the novels into the classroom experience, encouraging students to become lifelong readers. A great tribute to a series of books that continues to inspire the imaginations of elementary early readers.

EL (K-3) - ESSENTIAL. Reviewer: Joy

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