(1) K-3 What did dinosaurs really look like? The best attempts to answer this question are constantly changing. Rubin shows how each major find in paleontology, as well as the techniques and creativity used by paleoartists, have produced improvements in scientifically grounded artistic illustrations. For the iguanodon, unearthed in the early nineteenth century, each subsequent discovery of new fossils, including complete skeletons, was a big help (and one discovery showed that what was thought to be a horn was really a thumb-spike). But equally important were the theoretical advances that led scientists to think of dinosaurs as more akin to modern birds than to modern reptiles. The illustrations for the most recent theories are some of the most exciting, adding colorful flesh, wattles, and feathers reminiscent of the variations in birds. Rubin's pencil, watercolor, and "digital collages" (from the copyright page: "The artist is not entirely sure what to call all this, but 'digital collage' sort of makes sense") portray the paleontologists and artists of each era alongside a rendition of the time period's signature dinosaur, with humorous asides from both species. A helpful text box accompanies the dinosaur portraits and includes a list of their key features, facilitating comparisons across the history of paleontology. Endnotes provide additional backstory as well as source illustrations from prominent historical and contemporary paleoartists.

Reviewer: Danielle J. Ford | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(1) K-3 This is the story of an extraordinary Callery pear tree, told in the voice of the tree itself. Planted in the 1970s, this early spring bloomer thrived in the bustling downtown Manhattan cityscape, providing shade for workers and a haven for birds--until September 11, 2001. The simple text states, "It was an ordinary morning. Until it wasn't." Several pages of progressively darker, but not overly graphic, sequential art capture the devastation that followed on that fateful day. Weeks after the attack, workers pulled the badly damaged but still-alive pear tree from the rubble. The New York City Department of Parks and Recreation took charge of the rescue and replanted it in the Bronx, where it was nursed back to health over nearly a decade. The tree's recovery from the physical and emotional trauma is mirrored by the city's resilience and regrowth and the development of an oak forest on the 9/11 Memorial grounds. "Between the trees, they saved three empty spaces. Two spaces remained where the towers once stood. They would stay empty forever, because nothing could fill them." The third space was reserved for the "Survivor Tree," which was returned to the World Trade Center in 2010, offering visitors peace, hope, and the first blossoms every spring. Rubin's lively and energetic paneled art takes the focus quickly from destruction and desolation to growth and renewal, and the spare, moving account is perfectly suited to young audiences. A volume that could be part of any unit on 9/11 for children, or a lesson on resilience.

Reviewer: Luann Toth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021