Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House #1)

Book Description

Illus. in black-and-white. "With an entertaining blend of fact, farce, and fantasy, Osborne tells the story of Jack and his sister, Annie, who take a trip in a magic tree house and land in a time 65 million years ago. They find dinosaurs and volcanoes and adventure. Veteran storyteller Osborne builds the power of reading into the story: it's the books in the tree house that give the kids the magic to travel and see far, far away."--Booklist.

Customer Reviews:

So-So at Best.......2007-08-09

My son is a very advanced reader for his age (a 7 yo consistently reading at a 4-5 grade level) and I was looking for a series of books to challenge him and get him interested in reading chapter books. My son prefers non-fiction over fiction, so I thought this would be a good series since it weaves factual learning into the fictional storyline. However, I must say that I am extremely disappointed. This book did not hold my son's attention at all, and it was extremely boring to read out loud together. Most disappointing to me was the horrible writing style. The book is full of short, even fragmented sentences. I feel this sets a terrible example for children just learning to read and write. An example from page 19:

"Jack stepped forward. He put out his arm. Very cautiously. He brushed his hand down the creature's neck."

Another example from page 22:

"The creature fixed his eyes on Annie. His long jaws were opening and closing. Like a giant pair of scissors."

I mean, come on. Why couldn't the author just combine the last 2 sentences into one grammatically correct sentence?

I do agree with other reviews that this series may attract those children who are reluctant to read. If you are looking for books with substance that will be cherished for years to come, this may not be the best choice.

Great Chapter Read Aloud..........2007-07-02

My children 5 and 3 love this series. They are so excited to hear what happens next in Jack and Annie's adventure. The book is simple enough for young listeners to follow along. However, be prepared to add your OWN drama with voice intonations and expression. We truly enjoyed Dinosaurs Before Dark so much that we have bought the next 2 books in the series. Also, check out the research companions for each book. This has brought non-fiction excitement into our read alouds as well.

Dinosaurs before Dark.......2007-05-26

I gave the book 5 stars.I liked the book very much. I liked the characters and adventure.Second graders would like this book.Girls and boys and people who like dinouars.Before Jack and Annie can find out,the mysterious treehouse takes them back to figure out how to get home.

Dinosaur Days With Jack and Annie.......2007-04-20

Dinosaurs Before Dark was written by Mary Pope Osborne. The text copyright date is 1992. The book is found in most book stores.
Jack and Annie found a magic tree house. They climbed in and it took them back to the time of the dinosaur. In the land of the dinosaurs they find friend, foe, and gold! Something gets in the way of Jack going home. To find out Jack's problem read the book!

the first dinosaurs understanding .......2007-04-06

In this book Dinosaurs Before Dark Jack and Annie go to the time of the dinosaurs and Jack finds the gold madalen! one of the four things he has to find to set morgan the librarion free from the spell that she is under!When they go to dinosaur land they see a huge t-rex and when he gose to open his mouth there was FEET hanging out of the his mouth and Jack and Annie were scared to death almost so they want to get out of the dinosaurs time before they got eaten! the t-rex was blocking the way to the tree house so that they could not leave!

Ultimate Sticker Book: Dinosaur -- Glow in the Dark (Ultimate Sticker Books)

Average customer rating:

Dinosaur lovers will love this!

Ultimate Sticker Book: Dinosaur -- Glow in the Dark (Ultimate Sticker Books)

Manufacturer: DK CHILDREN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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Ultimate Sticker Book: Night Sky -- Glow in the Dark (Ultimate Sticker Books)

ASIN: 0789484587

Book Description

Ultimate Stickers Books make learning fun. Each Ultimate Sticker Book presents an array of colorful, photographic stickers of baby animals or dinosaurs, the U.S. Presidents or the night sky -- there's something for everyone. Young children will love working with these durable, reusable stickers, and they can have fun using the stickers to make picture books and projects on their own. These entertaining books provide a hands-on way to explore new subjects. (And some of the stickers even glow in the dark!) Includes over 60 full-color, self-adhesive stickers.

Customer Reviews:

Dinosaur lovers will love this!.......2005-09-21

Great combo book with both stickers and dinosaur information. Plenty of scenes to place stickers and the book boasts you can remove the stickers which we haven't tried yet. They really do glow in the dark and you can see their skeletons then.

The Glow in the Dark Book of Ocean Creatures

Average customer rating:

The Glow in the Dark Book of Ocean Creatures
Nicholas Harris
Manufacturer: Frances Lincoln Childrens Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

Glow in the Dark: Ocean Creatures (Ultimate Sticker Books)

Average customer rating:

Glow in the Dark: Ocean Creatures (Ultimate Sticker Books)
DK Publishing
Manufacturer: DK CHILDREN
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0789492776

Book Description

More than 60 stickers in this amazing book of ocean creatures glow in the dark to bring marine animals from the darkest oceans to life.

10 Cool LEGO Mindstorms: Dark Side Robots, Transports, and Creatures: Amazing Projects You Can Build in Under an Hour

Average customer rating:

Obsolescence: the Dark Side's greatest weapon
NOT FOR RIS 2.0!!!
Assemble your own Star Wars action robots
Leisurely stimulating
Fairly Good

10 Cool LEGO Mindstorms: Dark Side Robots, Transports, and Creatures: Amazing Projects You Can Build in Under an Hour
Kevin Clague , Soren Rolighed , Miguel Agullo , and Hideaki Yabuki
Manufacturer: Syngress
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Creative Projects with LEGO Mindstorms

ASIN: 1931836590

Book Description

LEGO MINDSTORMS let you design and program robots that can do just about anything!
The Dark Side Developer's Kit is targeted towards the young or novice LEGO MINDSTORMS designer, age 9 and up, although experienced MINDSTORMS fans will appreciate the unique possibilities offered by this kit as well. The Dark Side Developer's Kit includes special MINDSTORMS pieces that allow the user to create a host of Star Wars themed robots, creatures, and vehicles. It also comes with the Micro Scout, a mini-computer with 7 built-in programs, a motor, and a light sensor that brings the MINDSTORMS creations to life with a minimum of effort.

10 Cool LEGO MINDSTORMS Dark Side Robots, Transports, and Creatures: Amazing Projects You Can Build in Under an Hour provides step-by-step instructions and detailed illustrations for users of all skill levels and proficiencies.

A blend of the hugely popular LEGO and STAR WARS lines. Appealing to fans of both, this book will allow readers to build unique creations using the special parts found in the "LEGO MINDSTORMS: Dark Side Developer's Kit" that mimic the robots, vehicles and creatures found in the STAR WARS movies.
From out of the box to up and running in less than an hour. This book teaches users how to create 10 amazing projects, each in under an hour.
8-page color insert. An eight-page color insert illustrates the complete projects in full-detail.

Customer Reviews:

Obsolescence: the Dark Side's greatest weapon.......2006-03-11

I run a LEGO League Robotics team and we were thrilled with the idea of "Dark Side" robots. Unfortunately, since a key part is no longer available, we are trolling e-Bay for parts. This title is a great concept, but it's very unpleasant that it's still being marketed when mission-critical components are not reliably available.

NOT FOR RIS 2.0!!!.......2006-01-04

The description should state this! My 8 year old son, who is a Mindstorms genius, has wanted this for so long! How disappointed he was Christmas morning. "This doesn't use my pieces, or even my RCX" he said--very disapppointing, and I think it should clearly say this is not for the CURRENT version of mindstorms. This book is completely useless to us, he cannot build ANYTHING in the book with his Mindstorms RIS 2.0 set.
We have another book from this line, and it is for RIS 2.0, and my son loves it.
Update: We learned this book is for the Lego Mindstorms "Dark Side Developer" kit (Star Wars). It is no longer made, but we found a set on ebay. Son loves it--and now this book, too!

Assemble your own Star Wars action robots.......2004-04-29

The robots described in detail in this book are really cool, and once you look at them, your patience will be tried until you get to the assembly stage. Constructing the robots is easy, each one is split into a series of small steps where the parts to be added are listed in a caption and the placement of the parts on the robot are highlighted on a second figure. We have all faced situations where we had to follow directions to put something together and struggled to make sense of the diagrams. In this case, that should not be a problem, these are some of the most understandable diagrams that I have ever seen.
The robots are all from the Star Wars series of movies and associated novels, which makes them even better. Most people with an interest in robots have seen the Star Wars movies, so it is wondrous to watch the robot gradually grow into something you have seen in action.
Lego Mindstorms is a robot kit that can be effectively used in class work from elementary school up though graduate school. In this book you will learn how to build some of the best robots, which will appeal to students throughout this spectrum.

Leisurely stimulating.......2004-03-02

Again, why doesn't Lego publish these books, Syngress though has definitely filled the gap in the industry, and I can't put these books down. Awesome Star Wars themed dudes, great graphics

Fairly Good.......2003-01-03

This is a wonderful inspirational book! There are lots of mechanisms here that are good to play around with and modify. Every robot has some interesting functions - since it's using the Microscout only, everything (often two functions) is done with only one motor! It's also inspiring seeing what can be done with limited pieces. Every model in the book is built ONLY using DSDK parts!

The pictures (or rather, CAD renderings) are crystal-clear, thanks to Kevin's LPub. The downside is that they're black-and-white, but it's fairly easy to tell the difference between a white part and a red part.

There's not much commentary in this book - it's mostly instructions. That makes it easier to follow, but it doesn't help much if you have a question about modifying the robot.

Book Description

This stunning new series presents five unique views of the amazing animal world. The high-quality illustrations on extra glossy paper are so captivating that young and old alike will be mesmerized by their power and beauty. The extra large pages make this an ideal addition for home libraries. This superbly illustrated book about bioluminescence (nature's bright lights) covers animals from fireflies to flashlight fish and even luminescent fungi! Young learners will be amazed at the many fascinating creatures that glow! Look for other titles in this exciting series:

Bizarre Beasts

ISBN# 0-7681-0191-3

Creepy Crawlies

ISBN# 0-7681-0186-7

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ISBN# 0-7681-0184-0

Prickly and Poisonous

Book Description

Amaze your friends with this fabulous collection of night creatures. The easy-to-use, glow-in-the-dark stickers can be used over and over.

Children will love working with these durable, reusable stickers to make picture books and projects of their own. Packed with more than 60 full-color, photographic, self-adhesive stickers featuring glow-in-the-dark effects, these books provide a unique hands-on way to explore new subjects.

Dinosaurs: A Companion to Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House Rsrch Gdes(R))

Average customer rating:

Read This Book And You Will Be Crazy For Dinosaurs!
I Love the Magic Tree House Series!
Fun, entertaining and educational.
A great book and a great idea.
An excellent book.

Dinosaurs: A Companion to Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House Rsrch Gdes(R))
Will And Ma Osborne
Manufacturer: Random House Books for Young Readers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Library Binding

General | Ages 9-12 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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Dolphins and Sharks: Magic Tree House Research Guide (Magic Tree House Rsrch Gdes(R))

ASIN: 0375902961
Release Date: 2000-08-08

Book Description

Who invented the word dinosaur? What was the name of the biggest dinosaur? This book includes everything you ever wanted to know about the real-life world of dinosaurs.

From the Trade Paperback edition.

Customer Reviews:

Read This Book And You Will Be Crazy For Dinosaurs!.......2001-05-28

This book is a good book.I learned alot about dinosaurs.This book inspired me to love and study dinosaurs.Now everybody says I'm crazy for dinosaurs!This book talks about plant eaters and meat eaters.It has pictures of dinosaur skelatons.It has lots of theries on how the dinosaurs disapeard.So read it!

I Love the Magic Tree House Series!.......2001-02-18

This is my favorite book in the whole Magic Tree House series, because they wrote about a new dinosaur called Giganotosaurus. It was even bigger than T-Rex, and if they find more fossils of Giganotosaurus, it will be the king of dinosaurs. I think it was funny when Annie pretended to be Dromiceiomimus because she looked silly with huge eyes!

Fun, entertaining and educational........2000-09-07

What a wonderful idea. Mary Pope and Will Osborne share the research that they put in to writing "Dinosaurs Before Dark" with their readers in a fun and entertaining way. My 8-year old daughter has devoured this book and "Knights and Castles : A Nonfiction Companion to the Knight at Dawn". These books are not only instructing her on the particular subject of each book, but they are also teaching her how to do research on her own. They also build vocabulary and fill her head with wonderous thoughts and questions. I highly recommend this series to every young reader and their parents.

A great book and a great idea........2000-08-20

Thank you Will and Mary Pope Osborne. My 8-year old daughter has always been a fan of the Magic Tree House books and we have always appreciated the educational value of the books. It always was apparent that you had researched the background and facts about the various situations Jack and Annie found themselves in. Sharing the research with your ardent and eager readers is a gift. My daughter devoured the Dinosaurs Research Guide with enjoyment and enthusiasm. She is moved to share her new knowledge with us all. Reading the book has inspired her to continue researching on her own. And, she also says she is looking forward to reading more Research Guides. I highly reccommend this book and any that encourages children to seek and learn on their own.

An excellent book........2000-08-20

I loved the book Dinosaurs because it tells me so much about dinosaurs and it is interesting at the same time. It was fun to read. It was written as if by Jack and Annie and I really liked the part where Annie pretended to be a "silly-sourus". I look forward to reading more Mary Pope Osborne Research Guides.

Creature Collection 2: Dark Menagerie Core Rulebook (Sword and Sorcery)

Average customer rating:

Do You Have One of Those Groups?
Creature Collection II: Dark Menagerie Core Rulebook (Sword
Excellent sourcebook
Dark Monsters
Good, but not the Monster Manual

Creature Collection 2: Dark Menagerie Core Rulebook (Sword and Sorcery)
SSS STAFF
Manufacturer: White Wolf Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1588461602

Book Description

CREATURE COLLECTION II: DARK MENAGERIE

THE TWISTED LEGACY OF DEAD GODS

Over 200 horrifying aberrations, undead and other creatures ready to corrupt or kill the most stalwart heroes. Picking up where CREATURE COLLECTION leaves off, CREATURE COLLECTION II: DARK MENAGERIE presents a host of NEW MONSTERS for use in your 3RD EDITION D20 FANTASY CAMPAIGN. Revisit the Carnival of Shadows, and witness the twisted servitor races the titans fashioned in their war against the gods.

FULLY COMPATIBLE WITH 3RD EDITION RULES

OVER 200 BRAND NEW MONSTERS ADD UNIQUE CHALLENGES TO YOUR 3RD EDITION CAMPAIGN.

LEARN MORE ABOUT MONSTERS RELATED TO THOSE IN THE CREATURE COLLECTION.

A HARDCOVER, 224 PAGE HARDCOVER CORE RULEBOOK B Y THE FOLKS AT SWORD & SORCERY STUDIOS!

SEE ALSO THESE OTHER SWORD & SORCERY CORE BOOKS FOR THE SCARRED LANDS SETTING:

CREATURE COLLECTION (ISBN: 1565044878)
RELICS AND RITUALS (ISBN: 1588461599)

SWORD & SORCERY BOOKS ARE PUBLISHED UNDER THE OPEN GAMING LICENSE AND ARE 100% COMPATIBLE WITH 3RD EDITION RULES AND THE D20 SYSTEM.

ARTISTS INCLUDE:
Guy Davis, Steve Ellis, Ron Spencer and others

Customer Reviews:

Do You Have One of Those Groups?.......2007-08-07

Once of those groups who have been playing for years, and they know every single monster and all their stats from all the Monster Manual books? Are you a DM who is sick of every time you start to describe a Cockatrice they already know what you are talking about before your sentence is finished? If so, you are like me, and this book plus the others from Sword & Sorcerery did the trick. Finally some monsters no one had heard of! This book has a great selection of all kinds of things, perfect for any campaign. My only complaint is that its not in color.

Creature Collection II: Dark Menagerie Core Rulebook (Sword.......2002-12-27

Shipped immediately. Received in excellent condition. Very Satisfied. Would do and will do business with in the future.

Excellent sourcebook.......2002-06-03

I love Sword & Sorcery Studios. I've loved 'em since they came out with the Creature Collection 1, before the official Monster Manual came out. They're a high quality publisher, backed by one of the biggest companies in the biz, White Wolf, and it shows. This product is of great quality, much better than the first Creature Collection, which was admittedly mediocre in several departments. There are a huge range of monsters and other assorted things tailored for the Scarred Lands setting, but most if not all of them can be dropped into any setting with little if any change.

Also, you get a wide range of different sorts of monsters, because the book was not just written by a few individuals. Rather, they had open writer calls, so anyone could send in a permission form and their own monsters to be included in the book, so you get the cream of the crop from the collective minds of the entire D&D community.

Dark Monsters.......2002-04-19

This is probably my favorite monster book for D&D so far. The monsters are dark, scary, and threatening to all player characters. They are interesting to read about and good to throw at players and surprise them if they are expecting standard monster manual type creatures. A pretty good investment compared to a lot of other stuff out there :)

Good, but not the Monster Manual.......2001-12-05

This book is good. Really good. It shows what the Open Gaming License can do.

The monsters in this book are for the most part creative and interesting. Swords and Sorcery Studios obviously put some thought into a lot of the monsters. True, there are monsters in the book that lack the pizazz that you would want in a campaign of heroism that Dungeons and Dragons is suited to. Yet with 300 monsters or so, it would be irrational to expect them all to be perfect.

I have to complaints with the book, each of which cost the Creature Collection II a star.

My first gripe is a personal one, but I think it's significant. The CC2 is in black and white. While this is usually issue, I feel that in role-playing, hardcover books should come in color. You may disagree, and if you're happy with black and white, then consider this book a four star supplement.

Gripe two is more significant. Whoever came up with the challenge ratings (CR) for the monsters has (...) never played the D20 system (...). They are way off. There are monsters in there with CRs of 5 who I would pit my not-so-buff group of 1st level PCs against without any fear for their lives. On the other hand, there are monsters who have Crs way lower than they deserve. Example: The "Time Killer" has a CR of one, yet can use a touch attack to send players ahead in time, thus seperating the group, and it's touch attack also ages players 1d10 years. It also has a sizable number of hit points. I would have reservations pitting 4th level PCs against this monster.

Two notes that are neither pros nor cons: The book is a bit campaign specific (for the SSS campaign "Scarred Lands"), but with minimal work the DM can change the monsters to any campaign. Also, this book is very dark. Lots of undead and grisly aberrations. You could call them demons or devils and have all of the Planes fleshed out with evil. If you want some scary monsters, here they are.

Overall, good, but not the MM.

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