At this time of year, as we approach the run up to the festive season, team members at Everything Dinosaur receive emails asking for book recommendations, here is a trio of ideal dinosaur books for Christmas.

All three books have been written by Dr Dean Lomax. Dr Lomax is an English vertebrate palaeontologist and science communicator, a world authority on ichthyosaurs and their close relatives.

Three books written by Dr Dean Lomax.
Dean has recently completed three books – “Locked in Time” (left) which is illustrated by Bob Nicholls. “Prehistoric Pets” (centre) and (right) “Dinosaurs 10 Things You Should Know”. All three books make ideal gifts for the festive season. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur.

“Locked in Time”

Fossils have provided scientists with a unique insight into life in the past. The book “Locked in Time – Animal Behavior Unearthed in 50 Extraordinary Fossils” takes the reader on a journal through deep geological time and highlights fifty of the most incredible fossil discoveries ever made. Illustrated by Bob Nicholls, fossils discussed include brooding dinosaurs, prehistoric fish entombed in giant clams, predator death traps and Jurassic crocodilians with broken jaws.

Read Everything Dinosaur’s review of “Locked in Time” here: “Locked in Time” Reviewed.

Published by Columbia University Press, this highly recommend book is priced at around £25.00.

Find “Locked in Time” here (search on the website for author Dean Lomax): Columbia University Press.

Fighting Columbian mammoths
One of the dramatic illustrations from the book “Locked in Time”. A pair of Columbian mammoths (Mammuthus columbi) that died together when their tusks became locked together during combat. Picture Credit: Bob Nicholls.

“Prehistoric Pets”

“Prehistoric Pets” is aimed at the younger reader. It links animals alive today with their prehistoric ancestors. Favourite pets had prehistoric animal ancestors and Dr Lomax provides fun facts on fish and their 500-million-year evolutionary history, demonstrates that budgerigars are dinosaurs and that guinea pigs are distantly related to a rodent the size of a horse!

To read Everything Dinosaur’s review of “Prehistoric Pets”: “Prehistoric Pets” Reviewed by Everything Dinosaur.

The front cover of "Prehistoric Pets".
This colourful and well-written book takes the reader on a journey back in time, linking common household pets today with their prehistoric ancestors. Picture credit: Everything Dinosaur/Templar Books.

Published by Templar Books and available as a hardcopy format, this eye-catching and humorous book makes an ideal Christmas gift for young readers.

“Prehistoric Pets” by Dr Dean Lomax and illustrated by Mike Love can be purchased here: Waterstones Book Store.

Search for author Dean Lomax to discover the books.

“Dinosaurs Ten Things You Should Know”

Dr Lomax builds on his extensive experience as a science communicator and presents ten bite-sized essays that brings the Dinosauria to life in the 128-page “Dinosaurs Ten Things You Should Know”. He tackles big ideas about the dinosaurs, their evolution, their diversity, how they behaved and their ultimate demise.

Published by the Orion Publishing Group, “Dinosaurs Ten Things You Should Know” can be found here (just search for author Dean Lomax): Orion Publishing Group.