A Moment in Time with Sinosauropteryx

Steve Pitt is a Toronto-based freelance writer and an award-winning journalist. He has written many young adult and children's books, including Day of the Flying Fox: The True Story of World War II Pilot Charley Fox.

Emily Dickinson once wrote that “[h]ope is a thing with feathers,”
and this seems to be the theme of this fourth volume in the Moment in
Time series. The book’s main character is Layah, a young female
sinosauropteryx dinosaur. This metre-long, feathered carnivore existed
on the landmass now known as China during the early Cretaceous period
more than 140 million years ago. Unfortunately, the forest holds
meat-eaters who are bigger and meaner than Layah, and many of them think
she would make a tasty snack. Constantly hunting and being hunted is a
tough way to survive, but survive she does, and she eventually finds a
mate, secures a nest, and raises a family.

The entertaining and highly informative text is divided into two
sections: the first half is a fictional tale about Layah; the second
half is a nonfictional account of what scientists really know about this
fine-feathered creature and why it is an important discovery in the
world of paleontology. The book is spiced with numerous full-color
paintings by award-winning nature illustrator Jan Sovak. A welcome
addition to any dino fan’s library, A Moment in Time with
Sinosauropteryx is highly recommended.