The idea of a field guide to birds and feathered dinosaurs tickled my fancy enough for me to order a copy of Matthew Martyniuk’s new book. I was hoping for a lot of pretty pictures.

I did get a lot of pretty pictures of ancient birds and feathered dinosaurs. The animals are carefully reconstructed from the descriptions of them in the scientific literature and fleshed out in likely colors. True to its title, the information is laid out like a birdwatcher’s guide.

What I wasn’t counting on was the concise and clear explanations of bird and dinosaur skeletal anatomy and feather construction. I learned more about the ubiquitous flyers in those few short chapters than I have in the rest of my life.

Now I keep the book next to my reading chair and flip through it regularly, marveling at the variety of shapes and sizes of these long-ago animals.

(Source: Pan Aves Publishing)