Another book on dinosaurs? Aren’t there enough already for even the most fanatical child? Maybe not. Ornithomimus, by Alberta writer Monique Keiran, is the second in the Discoveries in Palaeontology series. Like the first, Albertosaurus: Death of a Predator, it is written in conjunction with the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Palaeontology in Drumheller, Alberta, and focuses on a single species of dinosaur found in Dinosaur Provincial Park. This approach allows for a depth not commonly found in the plethora of existing dinosaur books.

The events around the discovery and preservation of the Ornithomimus skeleton form the backbone of the book. However, the bare bones are admirably fleshed out with interesting sidebars on peripheral topics, from the evolution of beaks and feathers to X-ray tomography. In addition, a story called “The Bird-Mimic Chronicles” outlines the specimen’s possible life history.

The whole is splendidly illustrated with a rich combination of photographs, paintings, and cartoons. The book is rounded off with a thorough glossary tied to bold words in the text, an evolutionary tree, and a “Meet the Scientists” section.

In walking a fine line between making the text exciting for young readers and presenting complex science, Keiran has fictionalized the dinosaur’s life and broken the hard science into manageable bits. The book’s design clearly separates these two elements, which are very different and will likely appeal to different types of readers.

Ornithomimus is a superb endeavour, taking children’s inexhaustible interest in dinosaurs to new levels. Even the most jaded dinosaur-mad youngsters will want this on their bookshelves.