The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins

It's hard to imagine, but not so long ago the general population didn't really have any idea what dinosaurs were all about - what kind of creatures they were, how and when they lived, what they looked like - and they certainly couldn't rattle their complicated names off in a glib list, as so many children today will happily do, at the drop of a hat. That began to change in the mid-nineteenth century however, as ignorance gave way to an enthusiastic thirst for knowledge, something that was owing, not just to scientists and their discoveries, but to the work of a man named Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, an artist who created the first three-dimensional, life-sized models of these prehistoric creatures. His dinosaur models were first made show more available to the public in 1854, at the opening of the Crystal Palace - the science museum founded by Victoria and Albert - something that made Hawkins something of a celebrity in his day. Commissioned to create similar models of the American dinosaurs, only to see his work vandalized and destroyed by corrupt New York City politician Boss Tweed (boo! hiss!), Hawkins worked well into his old age, and, when new discoveries demonstrated his models were incorrect, welcomed the additional information.

The third picture-book biography I have read by Barbara Kerley - the previous two are What to Do about Alice?: How Alice Roosevelt Broke the Rules, Charmed the World, and Drove Her Father Teddy Crazy! and The Extraordinary Mark Twain - this wonderful title accomplishes a great deal in its brief page-span (a hallmark of great picture-books). Not only does it tell an immensely engaging personal story, the story of Waterhouse Hawkins, it also highlights a number of important ideas that young readers may never have considered - such as the fact that we didn't always know what we know now, scientifically speaking, or that our ideas have to change, as new evidence emerges - without ever descending into any kind of overt didacticism. The accompanying artwork, which won Brian Selznick a Caldecott Honor (he won the medal itself for The Invention of Hugo Cabret), is just as appealing as the narrative, capturing the excitement of Hawkins' work, and the disappointment of his dashed American hopes. All in all, a superb biography for younger readers, one that is both educational and entertaining - it has a dinner party given inside a dinosaur model: what could be cooler than that?!? - as well as physically beautiful! A sure winner for dinosaur lovers young and old! show less

I actually don't love this. Thank you, Kathryn, for articulating the appeal so well. I do understand all that, now that I see the book through your eyes.

However, I wanted more science or educational value. Basically this book is teaching us about a man who had too much hubris and got things wrong because he made too many irresponsible assumptions. I mean, I'm all for courageous exploration, but bad science has caused a world of hurt, and I cannot condone it.

I had never heard of sculptor Waterhouse Hawkins, the Englishman who first created the sculpted dinosaurs adored by children and — well, everyone! Indeed, I thought Waterhouse Hawkins was a place, not a person. The only reason I picked up the 2002 Caldecott Honor book was that the illustrator was Brian Selznick, and I cannot get enough of him!

I loved the reference to the now defunct Crystal Palace and to learning about Victorian menus, Queen Victoria’s interest in natural history, and Hawkins’ showmanship. But most of all, as expected, I loved Selznick crisp illustrations most of all. Just as natural history museum dinosaur recreations are for young and old alike, this picture book is for everyone: those too young to know the show more history and those who can appreciate a wonderful blast from the past.

You can see Hawkins’ original sculptures here. show less

I loved this book -Waterhouse Hawkins sounds like such a character, I loved the description of his carefully planned dinner party for big names in British paleontology. This book show how deeply he cared for his work - I felt devastated when I learned that his work for Central Park was destroyed. It was such a shock as a reader, I can't imagine what it must actually have been like for him. I love the last page of this book, especially because I studied archaeology - how fun would it be to have an excavation in Central Park to look for these destroyed pieces of dinosaur models? I will always remember this story when I go to Central Park.This book would be such a fun addition to a unit on dinosaurs for second to third graders, especially show more because it creates such a personal connection to this subject. I also like that it shows how human knowledge of dinosaurs has evolved over time. show less

Top 100 Favorite because:

This picture book is larger than life, and that's only appropriate given who it is about. Everything from the typography, to the text chosen, colors and style of the artwork all highlights the extraordinary and hyperbolic life of Waterhouse Hawkins. Much like illustrator Brian Selznick states in his artist's note in the back matter, I had never heard of this man before now. I think the man himself would have been proud and excited to see what has been written and drawn about him and his dinosaurs.
Back matter includes: Author's notes, Illustrator's notes, and images of dinosaurs as Hawkins knew them compared with modern interpretations.
I also find it interesting a book illustrated by Brian Selznick is in my top show more 100. I know he's incredibly popular and award-winning, but I haven't either at at like his work, or only in some ways (the only other work I can think of is the cuteness of Baby Monkey, Private Eye). show less

The Extraordinary Dinosaurs of Mr. Waterhouse Hawkins was one of my favorite picture books that I read this term. The book is separated into three sections depicting a different part of Mr Hawkins life. The story is an interesting one and delves into an area that has never been explored in a children’s book before. As a child, Mr Hawkins loves drawing animal and nature that he sees around him, and enjoyed making models of those animals even more. As archeologists and paleontologists begin to discover more and more dinosaur bones, Mr. Hawkins begins to imagine what these incredible creatures may have looked like. He connects similarities in the bones to animals that are in existence now and begins to create the first ever life size show more models that showed the world what Hawkin’s hypothesized dinosaurs may have looked like. This story is great for the classroom because it has a great storyline and the illustrations are some of my favorite. The colors are deep, but vibrant and colorful at the same time. The way that the text is framed makes the story feel more authentic to the time period and feel like a museum exhibit. The back of the book has a wonderful authors note which provides and even more detailed and factual account of Mr. Hawkins and his life size dinosaur models. This book would be great for students because children already love dinosaurs so much and this is a story about dinosaurs that is unique and can help students understand the excitement people felt when Hawkins first introduced his models to the world. show less

4 STARS for the storytelling aspect, adding an extra star for the excellent author's and illustrator's notes.This book tells so much - an interesting story, about how to come back after a defeat, about a man with a vision and how statues come into being. I was fascinated by this whole story, especially so by the article at the end of the book which is well worth reading as an adult to find out more. Loved it!