AnkylosaurusAN-kee-lo-SAW-rus (fused lizard)
Tough as tanks and hard as nails.
Heavy clubs swing from our tails.
We like spikes and we like skutes
(Bony plates we wear as suits).
We have heavy-armored skin--
Hey, but that's the skin we're in!
You've already seen the front jacket of DINOTHESAURUS (November 26th post), a detail of Spinosaurus on my masthead, so now here's the short poem and a detail of the art of Ankylosaurus. This 5-ton, 35 foot-long, heavily-armored herbivore had bony plates, sharp spikes, and a rough tough skin as defense against predators. So I depicted it as a tank, with treads, stars, and khaki green skin (nobody knows its real skin color). And it's coming right back at ya.
image and poem copyright 2009 Douglas Florian
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13 comments:
Vintage Florian art, Douglas. Bravo! But your many admiring fans can't wait to read the Ankylosaurus poem and its brothers. Oh, the awful waiting...
Congratulations!
Pat
Can't wait!
AWESOME!
I've added the poem, Pat!
Ah, Ankylosaurus is just the soupcon we were waiting for. May Dinothesaurus rule the (book) world!
Cheers, Pat
I love it!
The poem and illustration are amazing! I can't wait to read the whole book:)
That is one impressive skute!
Douglas,
Thanks for a sampling of the art and poetry from Dinothesaurus! Can't wait until the book is published.
BTW, have you heard about the discovery in India that has led some to question whether years of volcanic eruptions caused the extinction of dinosaurs--and not a comet/asteroid impact?
The news from India is very recent, but I was aware of the volcanic explanation to dinosaur extinction. The first 4 lines of "The End of Dinosaurs":
What made the dinosaurs die out?
Why don't they still parade about?
Maybe volcanic ash and smoke
Filled the air and made them ch-ch-choke.
Thanks, Elaine
L-L-Loving Ch-Ch-Choke
Douglas,
I know you keep up with the scientific news--as you did when you were writing COMETS, STARS, THE MOON, AND MARS. I remember your telling me how you had to change the poem you had written about Pluto. That's one of my favorite poems in the book!
Love this poem--the "heavy-armored skin" especially, and the spikes and skutes line.
Thanks for sharing this--can't wait to read the whole book.
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