Catherine D. Hughes - National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs

How to Use
This Book

Parent Tips
Dinosaur Map
Glossary
Index

D inosaurs lived on Earth
a very long time ago,
before there were any people. SMALL TO GIGANTIC Dinosaurs came in all sizes.
In this book you will find
out about 52 small, big,
giant, and gigantic dinosaurs.
Some were small enough to
hold in your hands. Others
were bigger than elephants
and taller than houses. DINO FACTS In each section,
look for a drawing
that shows the shape
and size of the dinosaur.
Next to the dinosaur
drawing, you will see the
figure of a kid who is four
feet, six inches tallabout
the height of a ten-year
old. That drawing will
help you imagine how big
that dinosaur was. In the
same box, youll see when
the dinosaur lived and
what food it ate.

WHAT WE KNOW NOW The text for each dinosaur uses information from
scientists who study dinosaurs. These scientists are called
paleontologists. This book tells you what paleontologists
think now. Some information might change as
scientists learn more about dinosaurs.

PRONUNCIATION
GUIDE This line tells you
how to sound out
the dinosaurs name. DINO ART Because dinosaurs lived so long ago, before there were
humans, there are no photographs of them.

So an artist
drew the dinosaurs you see in this book. The art shows
what paleontologists think each dinosaur looked like. FOR PARENTS In the back of the book, you
will find parent tips for dinosaur
games and activities. Also,
a world map shows where the
fossils of the dinosaurs in this
book were found. And finally,
a glossary defines words found
in the book. Dig in for a lot more about
amazing dinosaurs!

IN THIS CHAPTER
YOU WILL READ ABOUT
15 SMALL DINOSAURS.SMALL
up to 15 feet long
(5 meters) BIG
15 to 30 feet long
(5 to 10 meters) GIANT
30 to 65 feet long
(10 to 25 meters) GIGANTIC
more than 65 feet long
(25 meters) Scansoriopteryx
(See .)

SMALLMicroraptor weighed less than
four pounds.

It is the smallest
dinosaur in this book. This little dinosaur had
feathers and wings. It did
not fly like a bird, but it could
glide through the air like a kite. Microraptor may have used the claws on its
feet to climb high up into a tree. Then it
leaped off, gliding through the air until
it landed on the ground or a branch. Micropachycephalosaurus may
have lived in the forest. Micropachycephalosaurus may
have lived in the forest.

It could
hide there from bigger animals
that might eat it. This small dinosaur probably
sneaked around on the
ground, hiding under plants.
Maybe it climbed onto tree
branches to hide in the leaves. Micropachycephalosaurus
is the LONGEST of all
dinosaur NAMES.
But it belongs to one of the
SMALLEST DINOSAURS!SAY MY NAME: MY- cro -PACK- ee -SEF- ah - lo -SORE- us

SMALLHeterodontosaurus had three
different kinds of teeth. The teeth in front of its mouth were
small, sharp, and pointed. Those
teeth were good for biting leaves. Heterodontosaurus had bigger, flatter
teeth in the back of its mouth.
Those teeth were good for chewing.

Males had two long, fanglike teeth
on each jaw. How many kinds
of teeth do you have?FACTSWHEN IT LIVED
early JurassicFOOD
plantsSIZESAY MY NAME: HET- er - oh -DON- toe -SORE- us

SMALLFACTSWHEN IT LIVED
late CretaceousFOOD
meatSIZEOviraptor looked very
much like a bird. It had
feathers. Like all dinosaurs,
it laid eggs. Oviraptor made nests for
their eggs. They sat on
the eggs to protect them.

Parents used their feathered
arms to shade their eggs from
the bright sun during the day. SAY MY NAME: OH- vih -RAP- tore