I thought this was going to be an awesome book about dinosaurs from a Christian perspective. But the perspective shown here in this book is not a true creationist point of view. Evolution is mentioned many times, as one of "God's creative processes" of nature. All of the dinosaur eras mentioned are from millions of years ago; it is stated that dinosaurs lived far earlier in time before humans came along. This is not how I believe that God created the world, and I was surprised to find these statements in a kid's book published by Zondervan.

A few things I like:

*Prayers & scripture (from various translations) on most pages.
*Greatly detailed descriptions & illustrations of dozens of dinosaurs
*A few interesting stories of people in history who have made Jurassic discoveries

And... Who knew that pterodactyl babies are called flaplings?

Like most kids I went through a pretty significant phase of fascination with dinosaurs. I learned all about fossil records and carbon dating, different eras of dinosaurs and the links between species. It was all presented in a clear, scientific way that I easily accepted as fact. This lead to a lot of confusion later, then, when some well meaning person presented me with alternate ideas. With books that told me that carbon dating was based on guesses, that dinosaurs were lizards that had been allowed to live longer lives and thus kept growing to huge sizes. In short, religious books that told me science was wrong. It was hard for me to reconcile and lead me to question whether science and religion could ever be compatible. Enter this book. I wish it was one that had existed in my youth. Because the authors lead with science. We are presented with loads of facts about the prehistoric world and the animals that lived in it. Information is cited. We aren't just told about claws and skeletons. We are told how fossils and scientific examination proves these ideas. God is acknowledged as the maker, the driving force behind these wonders. While it is science forward, there is a fair amount of "god talk" so if religion isn't your bag this isn't the book for you. But if you are looking for a way to bridge the gap between faith and science this is a solid way to do that.

God Made the Dinosaurs by Michael and Caroline Carroll is a very interesting book. God Made the Dinosaurs is an informative book that has the belief that dinosaurs existed. Full Disclosure: I am really unsure about the existence of Dinosaurs, but the evidence in the book as to their existence was compelling and they were able to back up their findings with Scripture. If you’re interesting in dinosaurs, than God Made the Dinosaurs could be a great book for you. Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read this book. My review is also on Goodreads.

BIG FAT GIGANTIC NOPE! This is NOT a CHRISTIAN BOOK!

The fact that this book pretends to be a Christian view is ridiculous. Even for those that don't hold to a Young Earth view, God Made the Dinosaurs pits science and scripture against each other. That's a very false dichotomy; God and science are in no way opposite or opposing. God created everything, including science!

Big Bang is referenced and defined in the book's glossary as "the name given to the best current scientific understanding of how the universe began'. They are arguing that the Big Bang is the best and not just some people's belief. In the same glossary, the Bible is defined as "the holy book of the Christian faith, containing a collection of separate books that form the main ideas Christians believe".

According to this book, scripture is just a collection of books making up some Christian belief, not that it's the WORD OF GOD!

Quote from book:
"At first, all living things were tiny single-celled organisms, a bit like bacteria. But, gradually, an astonishing variety of life has developed--from huge, noisy, or colorful things to tiny, silent, or almost see-through ones. What an imaginative creation!"
None of that is compatible with what God said. Let there be light. Let there be water. Let there be animals. Let us make man in our own image.

The Living Bible is the translation referenced throughout this book and that particular translation has been contested as an actual translation. It's definitely more of a paraphrase at best.

The fact that this is even being published with God's name in the title is ashamed. The fact that ZonderKidz is publishing this is insane. Christian publishers need to publish Christian books.
One star is too many but I can't give it zero.

Dinosaurs have captured the imagination of kids for decades. It’s good to find a book that presents the subject of the evolution of dinosaurs from a biblical perspective. It gives parents a nice choice and a way to supplement all the hundreds of books already published about dinosaurs. Parents and kids need to know that evolution and Charles Darwin can fit into this point of view and is not necessarily in opposition to the Bible. This book helps this conversation be more well-rounded for everyone.
I received an advanced reader copy for free from NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

God Made the Dinosaurs
Full of Dinotastic Illustrations and Facts
by Michael Carroll; Caroline Carroll
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Rated: 0
Back of the Book: “In this beautifully illustrated picture book for young readers, discover fun facts and scientific information about dinosaurs, fossils, and prehistoric life, all in a faith-based context. Learn what the Bible says about dinosaurs, what the fossil record and paleontologists throughout history have taught us, and how dinosaurs embody the creativity and awesomeness of God’s creation.
From T. rexes to pterodactyls, God Made the Dinosaurs is jam-packed with fascinating information about the creatures that once roamed earth, sea, and sky. Delving into what we’ve learned from fossils and genetics, young paleontologists will love exploring the rich, detailed illustrations and soaking up the fun, educational facts.
God Made the Dinosaurs goes a step further than other dinosaur books, answering readers’ curiosity about how science aligns with faith and showing them how science and religion can work together to teach us all about the amazing world God has created.
God Made the Dinosaurs is perfect for:
Kids ages 6-10 who love dinosaurs and fossils
Parents who want to answer questions about faith and science
Educators and Sunday school teachers looking for STEM books that are rooted in faith”

Impressions: This book is a hard pass for me and not one I would recommend to Christian families. I'm not sure how this book slipped through Zonderkidz radar, but it is not biblically based. My son is obsessed with dinosaurs right now and I was excited to share this book with him. Because I thought that it was from a reputable Christian publisher, I did not pre-read the book which was my grave mistake. We had to close the book on the second page where the Big Bang theory is introduced as part of how God created the earth. Turning to the next page, it goes into more detail about such a view. “Planet earth was formed about 4.6 billion years about from space rocks crashing and squishing together as they zoomed around the sun.” This bit was followed by, “At first, all things were single-celled organisms, a bit like bacteria. But gradually, an astonishing variety of life has developed...” Later, the page Evolution is introduced as how different species were created. I am not by any means an expert on the subject of creation, but this is not a biblical view. I am actually disgusted that this book is being marketed to Christian kids. If you are looking for a biblical resource on dinosaurs, I highly recommend Masterbooks.com for resources or visiting the Ark Encounter or Creation Museum.

I received an ARC of this book via the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review shared here. For more book reviews go to: https://thebluestockingbooknook.wordpress.com

This was an ARC from Zonderkids on Metgalley. This book was so cute, and education for my little boy. He really loved the graphics, the dinosaurs throughout and heading the facts. He is still a little young to comprehend the entirety of the book, but was able to link that God also made the dinosaurs and he was very happy reading this and flipping through the digital pages with me. Would definitely purchase a copy of this novel to keep for when he is a bit older.