Whose Dinosaur Bones Are These? by Chihiro Takeuchi

Whose Dinosaur Bones Are These? by Chihiro Takeuchi. Candlewick Studios, c2022, 2023. 9781536230697






Rating: 1-5 (5 is an excellent or a Starred review) 4



Format: Hardcover picture book



What did you like about the book?  Chihiro Takeuchi’s masterful paper cutting technique is on full display in this charming compare and contrast look at dinosaurs. The book uses a visual riddle format in which readers study a set of bones and then guess which deconstructed dinosaur she’s laid out before them. In the beginning, it’s easy. A white pteranodon skeleton wings across a burnt orange page while opposite, a burnt orange and gold beast with black accents is reflected on a white background. On the next page, we see a set of footprints and a green plant, opposite a scattered collection of bones on a pale blue background. I could pick out the club-like tail, short forearms, and back legs of a vegetarian ankylosaurus and was pleased when I turned out to be right. The tiny detail of Takeuchi’s cutwork is amazing and the book has a clean, modern, and bright look that’s very appealing. The photographer even manages to capture the heavy texture of her paper. Although the resulting dinos do have a cute look, the bones are sophisticated and realistic. Opening endpapers show a parade of eggs (with a few exhibiting cracks) while the ones at the end of the book show a few tiny babies ready to take on the world. Brief backmatter closes out the book, with one simple fact about each animal.



Anything you didn’t like about it? No



To whom would you recommend this book?  This would be a nice offering for dinosaur fans ages 3-5. It may also encourage crafty readers to try their hand at paper cutting.



Who should buy this book? Elementary school or public libraries



Where would you shelve it? Probably in 567.9 or in picture books



Should we (librarians/readers) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? No



Reviewer: Susan Harari, Keefe Library, Boston Latin School, Boston, MA



Date of review: June 27, 2023