All hail Jerome, King of the Sea Dragons!
Collard, Sneed B. and Plant, Andrew. Reign of the Sea Dragons. Watertown, MA : Charlesbridge, 2008.
Plot: While dinosaurs claimed nearly every ecological niche on land, a variety of sea monsters ruled over the water. The text reviews the extinct marine reptiles claiming the apex predator role in pre-history. Such creatures include the dolphin-like ichtyosaurs, elegant elasmosaurs, and monstrous mosasaurs. Hand-drawn illustrations allow readers to envision the giant reptiles, while the text describes the creatures as well as the history of their discovery.
Genre: Animals, History, Science
Reading Level: Grades 4-9
Similar Titles: Sea Monsters, Ichtyosaurs, Ocean Monsters
Personal Thoughts: I have read a number of titles about prehistoric animals (surprising, I know), but this one stood out for several reasons. It avoided most of the more sensational images found in most titles (only one predator is shown with a gaping mouth facing the reader, for example). Also, it noted the controversy surrounding ancient reptiles, such as the flexibility of elasmosaur necks and body temperature of icthyosaurs. Additionally, it used hand-drawn images instead of computer-generated ones. Neither is necessarily superior to the other, but the contrast was pleasant. As such, I recommend the title to fans of prehistory.
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