Review: THE DINOSAURS OF WATERHOUSE HAWKINS: AN ILLUMINATING HISTORY OF MR. WATERHOUSE HAWKINS, ARTIST AND LECTURER, Module 8, Informational Books

Kerley, Barbara. 2001. THE DINOSAURS OF WATERHOUSE HAWKINS: AN ILLUMINATING HISTORY OF MR. WATERHOUSE HAWKINS, ARTIST AND LECTURER. Ill. by Brian Selznick. New York: Scholastic Press. ISBN # 0439114942

Waterhouse Hawkins lived over 150 years ago at a time when little was known about dinosaurs. This biography tells of his studies and work in first making dinosaurs come to life for all people. As a boy he was an artist who spent many hours drawing and sculpting but as an adult he actually built, for the first time, life sized models of dinosaurs. This story tells of his achievements, the great difficulties, and even failures which he encountered. The story is divided into three ages. The first tells of his beginnings in London, the second his difficulties and accomplishments in America, and finally the story ends back in England where he settled into old age and continued to broaden his knowledge. This is a large book with vibrant illustrations which utilize bold colors. The illustrations have an old fashioned look which helps the reader to get a feel for the time. At the back an extensive section on the author’s and illustrator’s notes are included. This section gives additional background and insight into this story. The book ends with pictures of Hawkins’ interpretations of how dinosaurs looked alongside pictures of what today’s scientists believe dinosaurs to have looked like. When comparing the pictures it is quite interesting to see the similarities and differences. This is a great book for dinosaur lovers. It will give readers insight on how scientists go about learning and sharing what they know about the past.