The Dinosaurs Meet Dr. Clock

I think this book showed the clear difference between a past and a future through how time machines work and what kind of situations he had to go through based on where he landed. It did foster a development of process between what past and future is.

• Author: Martha Weston
• Illustrator: Martha Weston
• Year Published: 2002
• ISBN: 0-8234-1661-5

Science Topics

• Physical Science

Minimum Suggested Grade Level

• Prekindergarten

Maximum Suggested Grade Level

• Kindergarten

Summary

This book is about a scientist who invents a time machine. He travels to the past and meets dinosaurs named Pachycephalosaurs. He is able to observe their living styles and take notes about what he is seeing. Then, he travels back to future.

Evaluation

• Appropriateness: Medium
• Authority: Low
• Accuracy: Medium
• Liteary Artistry: Medium
• Appearance: Low

Questions

Does the book foster development of processes?

I think this book showed the clear difference between a past and a future through how time machines work and what kind of situations he had to go through based on where he landed. It did foster a development of process between what past and future is.

Does the book provide an opportunity for children to ask and answer their own questions?

This book didn't quite provide an opportunity for children to ask or answer their own questions. This book was more of stating what was happening rather than giving children a chance to raise question and answer them.

Does the book encourage children to think for themselves?

After reading this book, I felt like one of the main point of the book was about what scientists are and what they do. The book mentioned a lot about how scientists like to observe and take notes and I think that leads children to think about what scientists do.

Is the science topic addressed in ways that are appropriate to the lesson?

I think this book can be used for science lesson about dinosaurs. This book only shows one type of dinosaur, which is Pachycephalosaurs. I feel like most of the dinosaurs' name can be hard to pronounce, but this book does give a way to pronounce the name. It does give an image of how the dinosaurs look and I feel like it can be a way for teachers to get to talk about different types of dinosaurs as well or go into a book with more details.

Is the content based on sound scientific principles? Is it accurate?

Yes, dinosaur is something that students haven't seen in person but something that was a live long time ago. There are so many different theories and scientific principles behind how dinosaurs extinct and I think this book can open up a discussion about it.

Does the book distinguish between fact and fiction?

Yes, this book states a fact that Pachycephalosaurs eat plants, they live with their families and states other facts. However, it also mentions how the scientist was able to observe all that because he time traveled. Time travel is a fiction, but whatever happened in the past that was shown after he time traveled was facts.

Are the illustrations clear and accurate?

Yes, the illustration of the dinosaur shows how the Pachycephalosaurs looked in the past. It's characteristics, and how it looked was very detailed and colorfully drawn to match the description of that dinosaur.

Is the book written at the level of your students?

The book seems like it is written for pre-k or kinder students. The language, word choice, context and storyline are very simple, short and not detailed. This is not a hard to read book, so I feel like this is very appropriate for even pre-k students.

Is there a multicultural component? Is it free from stereotyping?

This book's focus is on dinosaur, so I don't see much of multicultural component in this book. Though at the end, this book stops at a scientist going to the wrong future and ending up at a medieval period war, so that could be considered as a cultural component. However, in conclusion, this book does not provide a multicultural component.

Is the book free from gender bias?

The book itself isn't showing any strong gender biases, but then, there is only one character throughout the book. Usually a stereotypic gender for scientists is male and that is what the book is showing. However, I wouldn't call it a gender bias, because there are male scientists.

Does the book show the close association between science and other disciplines?

Throughout the book, it shows the difference between the past, present and future through where he is at after he time travels. So, yes this book makes a connection to social studies of past, present and future.

Does the book present a positive attitude toward science and technology?

Yes, the book shows a positive attitude toward dinosaurs. It shows how dinosaurs are interesting animals to observe and how their living style is like. After reading this book, it made me want to get to know more about Pachycephalosaurs.