Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Dinosaurs Before Dark by Mary Pope Osborne


Dinosaurs Before Dark
Magic Tree House Bk 1
by Mary Pope Osborne

This is the first in the "Magic Tree House" series. I read it to my 5 year old daughter and we both loved it. It took us only 2 nights to read and we are very anxious to read the second in the series.
In this installment, brother and sister, Jack and Annie, come across a tree house high in a very tall tree. Annie enthusiastically begins climbing the long rope later and Jack follows to be sure she ends up safe. Once they reach the inside of the tree house, they find it filled with books. One book even contains a picture of the place they are at right now. After glancing around, Jack picks up a book of dinosaurs and looks at a picture of a Pteranodon - wishing that he could see one for real. Suddenly, their surroundings have changed and they find themselves at a place 65 million years ago. Jack gets his wish - seeing not only a Pteranodon, but other dinosaurs up close and personal!
Now, the question remains - how can Jack and Annie find their way home? Can they do it before becoming lunch for a hungry meat eating dinosaur?
The characters are delightful - Jack the cautious one and his younger sister, Annie, the adventurous one. The idea of looking into a book and wishing to be in that place and finding yourself there is such a fun one! I can't wait to continue with this series!
ages 4 - 8
*68 pages*