True story: We were planning a trip the zoo and my three-year-old daughter and I were having a conversation about what animals we might see there. We mentioned sea lions, tigers, birds, and turtles. But then my daughter asked, “Will we see dinosaurs?”

“No,” I answered,  “Dinosaurs aren’t found in zoos.  Maybe we can see a dinosaur in a museum.  Maybe we’ll go to a museum so that we can see a dinosaur.”

Wide-eyed, she asked, “Can we go on it?  Like Danny.”

The librarian in me wanted to eat her up.  Of course, she was referring to Danny and the Dinosaur the classic picture book by Syd Hoff. Danny and the Dinosaur isn’t the only dinosaur tale she loves; we have a few books that prominently feature dinosaurs. But Papercutz’s new Dinosaur series will have to wait for her. While very child friendly, I think it will terrify her three-year-old self.

I missed the first volume of this series, but it didn’t matter. This isn’t a story that goes in sequential order. In fact, this isn’t exactly a story. It’s a bit like a docudrama: Part fiction, part nonfiction. Each two pages or so humorously depicts one breed of dinosaurs. (Having never gone through the dinosaur phase, I couldn’t believe how many types of dinosaurs there were!) After each description, there’s a small panel at the end with some basic information: The breed, the meaning of the breed’s name, the period it lived, size, diet, and other interesting tidbits that will keep young readers hooked. There’s plenty of blood and guts, but most of all, there’s plenty of humor in the panels of the pages. Bright colors are used in the artwork, and there are lots of dinosaurs tearing each other’s guts out and growling and roaring. Most of all, there are many interesting things to learn. Paleontologist Indino Jones pops up every few pages with more facts, and there are many other recurring characters, like field mice and the paleontologist’s niece.

This is an excellent addition to anyone’s bookshelf, whether it’s at home or in a library.