Making a kids dinosaur book!

[Brontozaurus]

So I've been talking with a friend (who goes by Harry_the_fox here) and we've decided to write and illustrate a dinosaur book for kids, since a lot of them are...a bit rubbish. I haven't found one that avoids any outdated information or bizarrely unfeathered/feathered dinosaurs. Our plan is to avoid all of that and be as accurate as possible to the current knowledge, so feathered raptors and quilled ornithiscians are in! But we'll be using the dinosaurs to show aspects of science, like evolution and the scientific method, to avoid just making it like HEY LOOK DINOSAURS RAD.

It's only early days yet, but I'd like to know if you think there's any notorious dino book tropes we should avoid.

[tyrantqueen]

How about try to portray the dinosaurs as living animals? Moving around, hunting, sleeping etc like all animals do. Try not to JP-ise any of the theropods (like having them constantly roaring and chasing after prey)

Also, try not to blatantly copy any well known artworks. I see that a lot in many dinosaur books, like this image:



It was basically copied over and over again in many books in the '80s. I think you should try to make your images as original as possible

[tyrantqueen]

Oh, I forgot, one more thing. Obviously, you want to aim for correct spelling and grammar, but here's something I see all the time on the 'net:



Don't call it a "T-Rex", the correct form is T.rex Just saying, I see it everywhere and it's annoying.

Artwork belong to Chris Masna.

[Brontozaurus]

How about try to portray the dinosaurs as living animals? Moving around, hunting, sleeping etc like all animals do. Try not to JP-ise any of the theropods (like having them constantly roaring and chasing after prey)

Also, try not to blatantly copy any well known artworks. I see that a lot in many dinosaur books, like this image:



It was basically copied over and over again in many books in the '80s. I think you should try to make your images as original as possible

That's very much what we'll be avoiding. I mean there'll be some scenes of hunting dinosaurs but I don't want to push the idea that dinosaurs were giant murderbeasts. The aim is to get kids thinking about dinosaurs as living animals which I think would be more interesting than showing them as monsters.

And yes, we'll make sure we write scientific names out correctly.

[fleshanthos]

Now you just have to decide to what level you will show actual Science and evolution. No doubt creationists will get in a higgeldy piggeldy over that.

[Brontozaurus]

Now you just have to decide to what level you will show actual Science and evolution. No doubt creationists will get in a higgeldy piggeldy over that.

Science and evolution will be front and centre in this book. We're going to teach kids the meaning of 'phylogenetic bracketing'.