Dinosaurs with Feathers: The Ancestors of Modern Birds
A growing body of fossil evidence says that birds are descended from dinosaurs. Since the discovery in the late 19th century of the famous Archaeopteryx fossil, scientists have compared dinosaur and ancient bird fossils with modern birds and found many important shared characteristics. But is it the most recent discoveries--of dinosaurs with feathers--that have cemented the bird-dinosaur connection and provided us with entirely new and fascinating evidence of how birds are related to these ancient creatures. Hard as it may be to believe, the small feathered creatures sitting on your bird feeder are, in many ways, tiny dinosaurs in disguise!
In this large format book, full-color illustrations show what these ancient birds and feathered dinosaurs may have looked like in real life, while the text explains the details of the scientific discoveries that have helped us to learn about the ancestry of modern birds.
For Common Core curriculum links and teaching ideas for this book, Click here .
Sidebars are a technique I use when I want to elaborate on points that are related to the theme but would slow the pace if they were included in the main body of the text. In my book, Dinosaurs With Feathers: The Ancestors of Modern Birds, the focus of the book is on the origin of birds and their relationship to dinosaurs. Sidebars on fossil feathers, birds with and without teeth, and stomach stones (stones swallowed by dinosaurs to aid in digestion), allow me to provide the reader with information that reinforces the main idea but is too detailed. I was pleased that the illustrator drew slabs of fossil rocks as background for these sidebars, a clever way to visually integrate them into the book.