HOW TO BUILD A DINOSAUR Extinction Doesn't Have to Be Forever

Jack Horner's quest to hatch a dinosaur makes comparisons to JURASSIC PARK unavoidable—especially given that the paleontologist was an adviser to the film. Rather than extracting DNA from dino blood in a petrified mosquito, however, Horner wants to manipulate the embryo of a chicken and create a bird with teeth and a reptilian tail. Patrick Lawlor's narration of Horner's fascinating book is mostly enthusiastic and engaging, and he's comfortable with the scientific jargon. He does, however, show some insensitivity to the text, delivering banal sentences with a misplaced ebullience and failing to give proper emphasis to more climactic passages. These are not huge flaws, but they detract from an otherwise polished production. D.B. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2009]