All About Middle Grade Review: Jurassic Classics: The Prehistoric Masters of Literature

Jurassic Classics: The Prehistoric Masters of Literature by Saskia  Lacey and illustrated by Sernur Isik, April 1, 2016. 40 pages. Published by Walter Foster Jr. Source: publisher.

Read classic literature from the eyes of the dinosaurs, and learn about the literary greats through humorous, prehistoric mashups and fun, dinosaur-themed facts.

Jurassic Classics: The Prehistoric Masters of Literature mixes prehistoric dinosaur humor with some of the great names of literary history to teach the classics in a fun and inviting way for children of all ages. The first book in a new series, The Prehistoric Masters of Literature, features an assortment of well-known, classic authors, such as the Bronte sisters, Jane Austen, and William Shakespeare, all under the guise of favorite dinosaur mashups (i.e. the "Brontesaurus" sisters). The Prehistoric Masters of Literature features a brief "dino" biography of each author, with real facts intertwined and modified to fit with the prehistoric theme. Each biographical spread also includes a short mini book of one of the author's classic novels, glued into the last pages. For instance, an abridged version of Wuthering Swamp Heights is included alongside the Brontesaurus sisters' biography. With the timeless popularity of dinosaur subjects for children, this new series is sure to engage and delight, as well as teach children about famous figures in history.

First Sentence:

You're invited to discover the ancient tales dinosaurs once devoured millions of years ago, when the world was a fiercer, but no less, literary place.

You know sometimes just the title of a book calls out to you. For me, the combining of the words Jurassic and classics was too tempting to pass over. If you haven't guessed, I really like dinosaurs and classic books so it sounded perfectly reasonable to accept the offer to review it.

I don't generally start off with talking about the illustrations in a book, but, I found myself really enjoying the artwork that Sirnur Isik did for this one. What really made the illustrations so appealing was how the characters from various classic novels were depicted. I'm afraid that I'll never mentally be able to see certain characters the same way ever again. I will now be seeing dinosaurs in place of
how they previously looked in my minds eye.

One of the things I liked best was that I was familiar with all but one of the classics within this volume. I enjoyed being able to spot the differences that were used to make them fit the bill of being written in prehistoric age. I will readily admit that I enjoyed the excerpt of Romeo and Juliet more when it had dinosaurs then that of the original version.

The only classic mentioned that I have not read, nor have all that much interest in, was Wuthering Heights. Yet, the rewrite included in this book was intriguing.

If I had to chose just one reason for enjoying Jurassic Classics: The Prehistoric Masters of Literature, it would have to be the humor. It left me cracking up. I quite enjoyed the unlikely combination of literary classics turned prehistoric.

Final Verdict: Jurassic Classics: The Prehistoric Masters of Literature- A hilarious was to introduce the classics to young readers. It'll catch their attention and make them curious about what actually happens.

Jurassic Classics: The Prehistoric Masters of Literature earns

 
A copy of this book was received in consideration for review. All thoughts are my own.