I wrote this book for Anne
C.L.B.
For my parents and my high school art teacher,
Bill Applequist, with gratitude
P.W.
HarperCollins, A , I Can Read Bookare trademarks of HarperCollins Publishers Inc.
THE DAY THE DINOSAURS DIED. Text copyright 2006 by Kathryn Ann Hoppe. Illustrations copyright
2006 by PhilWilson. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available.
EPub Edition 2011
ISBN: 978-0-06-203858-6
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
FIRST EDITION
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Long, long ago,
dinosaurs were everywhere.
They hunted by the sea
and high in the hills.
They walked across
dry, sandy deserts.
They ran through
wet, green jungles.
For millions of years,
the dinosaurs ruled the earth.
Now they are all gone.
How did they die?
It may have happened like this...
Tyrannosaurus rex roared.
The Dromaeosaurus pack
stopped eating.
They looked up
at Tyrannosaurus rex.
One Dromaeosaurus
grabbed a last bite
of Edmontosaurus meat.
Then the whole pack ran.
Tyrannosaurus rex walked over
to the dead Edmontosaurus,
and he ripped out a large bite.
Tyrannosaurus rex
watched for other dinosaurs
as he ate.
He did not want to share his food.
He looked right and left.
He looked in front and in back.
But he didnt look up at the sky.
He didnt see
the strange new light there.
It looked like a very bright star.
It was not.
It was a giant asteroid.
It was heading toward Earth.
The asteroid grew brighter
as it came closer.
Tyrannosaurus rex
did not notice.
He just kept eating.
Pteranodons flew in circles
high above Tyrannosaurus rex.
They cried out
as the light grew brighter.
Tyrannosaurus rex
did not even look up.
He just kept eating.
Soon the asteroid
blazed brighter
than the sun.
Tyrannosaurus rex looked up at last.
It was too late.
The asteroid burst
into a ball of fire.
It filled the whole sky.
Tyrannosaurus rex
roared one last time.
Then...
Kaboom!
The fireball smashed into the ground.
Tyrannosaurus rex died instantly.
The Pteranodons
were blown from the sky.
Their bodies
burned away to nothing.
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