Another dinosaur book? Yes, and one that meets the challenge of standing out from the stock rehashes of information every 10-year-old already knows.

Award-winning author and scientist Elin Kelsey’s new book is part of the WOW Canada series from Maple Tree Press. The book is divided into five colour-coded sections that cover the history of dinosaur discovery in Canada, famous Canadian finds, and what makes Canadian dinosaur exploration special. Each double-page spread presents a single aspect of dinosaur study, enlivened with varied, well-captioned illustrations, related sidebars, and short facts. Both individual dinosaurs and the researchers who study them are profiled throughout. The book is rounded out with lists of what dinosaurs have been found where, where to see them, a glossary, and a comprehensive index.

Young dinosaur experts will recognize some illustrations and already know such information as how the dinosaurs died out and what noise Parasaurolophus made. However, they will learn fascinating new facts such as the connection between dinosaur bones and a First World War sea battle, and that it can cost $3,000 in chisel points alone to prepare a single Chasmosaur skull. Everything about Canadian dinosaur research is here in this beautifully designed book, from the composition of dinosaur poop to last year’s discovery of sauropod footprints and bones in B.C.

My only quibble comes from my nine-year-old son, who found the cover “too young.” Based on a photograph of a model Tyrannosaurus rex, it lacks the dramatic power of some of the inside illustrations, such as the photograph of Tyrannosaurus jaws crushing a huge bone.

Canadian Dinosaurs contains a wealth of data on a startling array of dinosaur topics. Accessible and informative, it will appeal both to kids new to the topic and those in need of an update.