Dinosaur Tales [Paperback]

Bradbury's science fiction is not for everyone. Some readers may find his work too philosophical and sometimes hard. And these qualities are what I like best in his writings. The anthology "Dinosaur Tales" is a good example of some themes that he tackles with in his short stories and novels. And, in this book specifically there is a big plus, the illustrations made by some of the best illustrators in the world.

My favorite tale in the book --and probably the best and most famous-- is "A Sound of Thunder". This tells the story of a safari to the future of a group of people who will hunt dinosaurs, book something wrong happens. It is short, more or less 30 pages, but it is so profound and well written, and that is very moving and even scary if we come to think that it can be true some day. Moreover, it rises so many questions that it is a wonderful tale to read in a group and discuss afterwards. By the way, the line I used in the title refers to this story.

The other tales are quite good too, and also there are two poems that are great. But, like I aforementioned, one of the big plus of this edition are the illustrations made by Moebius, Jim Steranko, William Stout, Kenneth Smith, David Wiesner, Overton Lloyd and Gaham Wilson. All of them have many credits as illustrators and their drawings are unique, and give Bradbury's tales the real dimension of their narratives. In the poem "Lo, the Dear Daft Dinosaurs!" Lloyd's illustration are kind of dream-like abstract, showing a beautiful ballet.

This anthology is a great way of discovering Bradbury's narratives. And since dinosaurs are such a fascinating theme for youngsters, this book comes highly recommended to young readers.

"Besides a Dinosaur, Whatta Ya Wanna Be When You Grow Up?" features a young boy who wants to be a dinosaur when he grows up -- with bizarre results. "A Sound of Thunder" follows a time-travel safari that goes horribly wrong. The eerie "Fog Horn" calls a strange, ancient creature. "Tyrannosaurus Rex" is involved in filmmaking, and the two poems "Lo, the Dear Daft Dinosaurs!" and "What If I Said, The Dinosaur's Not Dead" add a note of whimsy to it.

As with all Bradbury story collections, this is a pretty unusual bunch of stories -- there's humor, there's horror (the second story in particular) and dwelling on children in the Midwest with that odd knack he seems to have. The writing is spare and hard-hitting, and the publisher, ibooks, adds to the entertainment with illustrations. The cover art is the best, very bright and colorful. Inside the text of the stories is often lined with smaller pictures and patterns; the illustrations can be weird and funny, or realistic and almost frightening. The only letdown was Moebius's rather childlike illustrations.

If you have a kid who's obsessed by dinosaurs, or ever were one yourself (fess up! Everyone does it!) then this will be a good collection of dinosaur stories to share. And even if you already have this book in another edition, you may want to get it just for the illustrations.