Tooth and Claw: The Dinosaur Wars, by Deborah Noyes, chronicles the exploits of paleontologists Marsh and Cope, who explored the American West looking for dinosaur fossils in the late 1800s. A bitter feud raged between these two scientists, and the author captures the venom that was between them and the extreme lengths to which they would go in order to out-do one another.
While the Marsh/Cope feud is an interesting topic that may be unfamiliar to the young readers for which this book is intended, the style of writing of the book is not very interesting. Some of the events that are described are so similar as to seem repetitive. For a work that deals with dinosaur bones and paleontology digs set in a region which was filled with war between the U.S. Government and the Native American inhabitants as well as natural dangers, the book is surprisingly dry. It reads like a school textbook rather than a work of nonfiction about an interesting topic.
However, the book does have two bright spots. The author places historical side-notes on many of the pages, and these side items are, at times, more interesting than the primary narrative of the book. The other outstanding part of the book is the many historical photographs and drawings, which provide vivid illustration. Overall, the book is well-researched and provides some interesting facts, but it does not seem likely to hold a reader’s attention.
Review of an Advance Reading Copy
This book was sent to Compass Book Ratings for review by Viking Books for Young Readers
Content Analysis:
Profanity/Language: None
Violence/Gore: Minor, unintentional property damage; past deaths from natural causes are mentioned a few times; report of a human dissection for academic purposes; report of a fist fight; report of a Civil War battle; report of an animal killed in an accident; mass killing of animals mentioned; animals are shot a few times; report of a massacre in war; report of a death in war; a character is injured in a fall (no details); a paleontology site is demolished.
Illustrations contain: A few bloodless drawings of animals killing one another; a photograph showing many skulls after a mass killing of animals; a historic illustration of a battle (no blood).
Sex/Nudity: Report that a character had an “unsuitable love affair” in the past; a character marries his distant cousin; a character has a “lady love”; an 18th century illustration shows naked men, but objects are artfully placed to conceal private parts.
Mature Subject Matter:
Death (family member, parent); war (American Civil War; Indian Wars); draft-dodging; conflict between science of paleontology/evolution and religious views of creationism; bribery; destruction of Native American way of life; government corruption.
Alcohol / Drug Use:
Adult characters drink alcohol; a character is named “Whiskey Jack”.
