A Dinosaur Named After Me

There is no dearth of dinosaur books, and for good reason: children love to read about these long-gone creatures. Most has made many satisfying contributions to this topic ( Dinosaur Cousins ; Whatever Happened to the Dinosaurs? ; If the Dinosaurs Came Back ), but his newest book has an especially refreshing twist. Each page features a child introducing a dino--25 in all--and describing its behavioral and physical characteristics. The child tells about him-/herself, too, with an argument for renaming the dinosaur after him/her. For example: ``My favorite dinosaur is Tyrannosaurus Rex, the biggest, meanest, fiercest, most powerful meat eater ever found . . . when I have a bad day or lose my temper, my dad calls me RYAN-osaurus Rex!'' Solid scientific information shares space with fictional youngsters in an ingenious way. Ages 4-8. (Mar.)