Written by Sabrina Ricci
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50 Dinosaur Tales was published this week, and is on a blog tour! Why not follow the tour with these bloggers where you'll not only find reviews, but extracts, and interviews with the author.
Today is my stop on the tour, and I would like firstly to thank Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me to take part in this blog tour, and author Sabrina Ricci for providing me with an extract to share with you.
This book is family friendly, and great for dinosaur enthusiasts of all ages.
Today is my stop on the tour, and I would like firstly to thank Rachel of Rachel's Random Resources for inviting me to take part in this blog tour, and author Sabrina Ricci for providing me with an extract to share with you.
This book is family friendly, and great for dinosaur enthusiasts of all ages.
The blurb:
50 Dinosaur Tales50 Dinosaur Tales: And 108 More Discoveries From the Golden Age of Dinos
"Gualicho takes a bite out of the ornithopod’s back as it runs away from her, causing it to stumble and fall. She jumps on top of the body and rips open its neck with her teeth. The ornithopod becomes still and limp.
Satisfied, Gualicho begins to feast. But, after only two bites, she senses something is wrong. She lifts her head and sees a Mapusaurus making its way toward her."
About 50 Dinosaur Tales
Blending fiction with fact, 50 Dinosaur Tales imagines the way 50 newly described dinosaurs from the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous lived in their natural habitats.
Also included is a list of fun facts for each dinosaur story, and facts about 108 additional dinosaurs.
If you want to hear more about new dinosaurs as soon as they are discovered, listen to the weekly podcast I Know Dino.
Dinosaur
Children's Book
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Enjoy this short extract from 50 Dinosaur Tales
50 Dinosaur Tales imagines the way 50 newly described dinosaurs from the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous lived in their natural habitats. I’ve learned a lot the past five years producing a weekly dinosaur podcast with my husband Garret, at iknowdino.com, and had a great time writing short stories about some of the most recently discovered dinosaurs based on what paleontologists know about them.
Below is an excerpt from the book—the story of Caihong juji, a small bird-like dinosaur that lived in the Jurassic.
It’s time. Caihong juji is ready. He has finally grown into his feathers, and he must now attract a mate.
His feathers cover all 16 in (40 cm) of his body. He only weighs 1.05 lb (475 g), but he cannot fly. Caihong can, however, dance.
The sun will set soon, and the lighting is golden and perfect. Caihong has been waiting all afternoon for this moment. He staked out a branch in his tree that morning, making sure the branch was at a height that would not overshadow other vegetation. He has been visiting this branch for weeks to make sure that female Caihong visit from time to time, and to make it known that this is his territory.
Caihong hops from one side of his branch to another. He lightly shakes his feathers, so they catch the light. Most of his body is iridescent black and shimmers. The feathers on his arms and legs are long and symmetrical, while the feathers on his tail are asymmetrical and fan out.
Caihong’s head and neck are more colorful, with a mix of blue, green, orange, and red. He also has a crest on his head, which juts out in front of his eyes and makes him more appealing to a female Caihong.
Something lands on the branch next to Caihong. He jerks his head and sees her. He’s been waiting for so long that he almost forgets what he needs to do to woo the female Caihong. Then his instincts kick in.
Caihong puffs up his chest to feature the blues and greens on his neck. Then he struts back and forth on his branch to give the female the best view of his shimmering body and to show off his balance.
The female Caihong doesn’t seem too impressed, but she doesn’t move away either. Caihong raises his arms as high as he can to display the red and orange feathers on his wings. He pauses for a moment to see the female Caihong’s reaction. She’s watching him.
Caihong hops from side to side, keeping his arms outstretched. He stops again to make sure that his intended mate is still interested. She continues to look at him. Good.
Caihong stops hopping and takes a bow, spreading out the feathers on his tail. Then he shakes them, so they look as if they’re waving to the female Caihong.
It works. The female Caihong sidles up to him. She takes another look at his tail feathers. Then, in unison, they hop from side to side on their branch, a signal that she has accepted his offer to mate.
The timing is just right. The sky has now turned yellow, orange, and red to complement Caihong’s feathers. The lighting illuminates the nearby tree branches, giving the pair of Caihong a path to follow.
Caihong wastes no time. He makes a gurgling sound to let his partner know to follow him. The two take off and glide from branch to branch.
Facts
- Caihong juji was a small paravian theropod that lived in the Late Jurassic in what is now China.
- Caihong had a bird-like body and feathers, but it probably did not fly.
- Scientists compared the structure and shape of Caihong’s feathers with modern bird feathers and found that they were mostly black with red, orange, green, and blue neck feathers.
- The genus name Caihong means “rainbow” in Mandarin Chinese.
- The species name juji means “big crest” in Mandarin.
Find out more in the I Know Dino podcast, episode 166, “Minmi.”
| Author Bio – Sabrina Ricci |
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 Sabrina is a writer and podcaster. She loves nerdy things, like technical specs and dinosaurs, especially sauropods. When she’s not writing, she’s podcasting with her husband at I Know Dino (iknowdino.com), a weekly show about dinosaurs. |
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