Nonfiction Book Reviews

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The Handy Dinosaur Answer Book by Thomas E. Svarney and Patricia Barnes-Svarney
Visible Ink, October 1999.
Trade Paperback, 493 pages.
ISBN: 1578590728.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.

Dinosaur lovers will find plenty to feed their appetite for these prehistoric beasts in this comprehensive guide. In an appealing question and answer style, the book covers dinosaur topics beginning with the origins of life on Earth and with the evolution of the dinosaurs, including charts showing the different periods. The next section of the book explains the different evolutionary periods including the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous and the dinosaur species that thrived during these periods. Each section is enhanced with visually appealing charts, tables, drawings and pictures. Other sections in the book are devoted to more dinosaur subjects such as dinosaur bones, dinosaur anatomy, dinosaur behavior, what happened to the dinosaurs, digging for dinosaurs and U.S. and international dinosaur discoveries. In total, the book provides detailed answers to over 1,000 wide-ranging questions about dinosaurs, such as: What was the fastest Dinosaur? What were the largest dinosaurs known in the Jurassic period? Did dinosaurs travel in herds? Can amateurs find dinosaur fossils? And, how accurate was the movie Jurassic Park? A final section entitled "Learning More" contains a large collection of additional resources, including books, publications, museums, educational videos, films with dinosaurs, websites and organizations. Packed with information, pictures, charts and pointers to additional research resources The Handy Dinosaur Answer Book is a prize find for any dinosaur buff. Highly recommended.

The Parenting Survival Kit by Aleta Koman, M.Ed., with Edward Myers
Perigee, March 2000.
Trade Paperback, 463 pages.
ISBN: 0399525807.
Ordering information:
Amazon.com.

The Parenting Survival Kit
by Aleta Koman, M.Ed., with Edward Myers

The Parenting Survival Kit provides strategies for surviving the stress of parenthood and information about a variety of common problems parents face. Some of strategies for surviving the stress of parenthood are to have realistic expectations, go at your child's pace and make your home a haven. The strategies include tips and advice about how to follow each strategy. Most of the book is an A-Z guide providing solutions and analysis of common problems and situations that parents face, such as communication between spouses, computers, loss, the media, prejudice, childhood fears, sexuality, vacations, safety, food, gender bias and violence. The guide also includes a collection of other useful resources for parents, including websites.

For parents short on time the book's A-Z section makes it easy to quickly find information and solutions for a specific trouble spot. This is a valuable aide for parents and soon-to-be parents.

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Nonfiction Book Reviews

The Handy Dinosaur Answer Book by Thomas E. Svarney and Patricia Barnes-Svarney

The Parenting Survival Kit by Aleta Koman, M.Ed., with Edward Myers