LESSEM, Don 1951-

PERSONAL: Born December 2, 1951, in New York, NY; son of Lawrence (a dentist) and Gertrude (a psychologist; maiden name, Goldman) Lessem; divorced; children: Rebecca, Erica. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Education: Brandeis University, B.A. (cum laude), 1973; also attended University of Massachusetts—Boston, 1976, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 1988. Politics: "Anarchist." Religion: Jewish. Hobbies and other interests: Travel, sports.

ADDRESSES: Home and office—Fax: 617-527-7752. Agent—Al Zuckerman, Writers House, 21 West 26th St., New York, NY 10010. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Dinosaur Productions, president, 1995—; Dinosaur Exhibitions, president, 1996—. Jurassic Foundation, founder. Writer and consultant; technical advisor for films and theme parks, including the film Jurassic Park.

MEMBER: Society of Vertebrate Paleontology.

AWARDS, HONORS: Winner of several awards from National Science Teachers Association for his children's books.

WRITINGS:

Life Is No Yuk for the Yak: A Book of Endangered Animals, illustrated by Linda Bourke, Crane Russak (New York, NY), 1977.

How to Flatten Your Nose, Klutz Press, 1980.

Aerphobics: The Scientific Way to Stop Exercising (humor), William Morrow (New York, NY), 1980.

The Worst of Everything: The Experts' Listing of the Most Loathsome and Deficient in Every Realm of Our Lives, McGraw-Hill (New York, NY), 1988.

(With John R. Horner) Digging Up Tyrannosaurus Rex, Crown (New York, NY), 1992.

Kings of Creation: How a New Breed of Scientists Is Revolutionizing Our Understanding of Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Sibbick, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1992, published as Dinosaurs Rediscovered: New Findings Which Are Revolutionizing Dinosaur Science, Touchstone (New York, NY), 1993.

(With John R. Horner) The Complete T. Rex: How Stunning New Discoveries Are Changing Our Understanding of the World's Most Famous Dinosaur, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1993.

(With Donald F. Glut) The Dinosaur Society's Dinosaur Encyclopedia, Random House (New York, NY), 1993.

The Iceman, Crown (New York, NY), 1994.

Jack Horner: Living with Dinosaurs, illustrated by Janet Hamlin, Scientific American Books for Young Readers (New York, NY), 1994.

Inside the Amazing Amazon: Incredible Fold-out Cross Sections of the World's Greatest Rainforest, illustrated by Michael Rothman, Crown (New York, NY), 1995.

Ornithomimids: The Fastest Dinosaur, illustrated by Donna Braginetz, Carolrhoda Books (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

Raptors! The Nastiest Dinosaurs, illustrated by David Peters, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1996.

Seismosaurus: The Longest Dinosaur, illustrated by Donna Braginetz, Carolrhoda Books (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

Troodon: The Smartest Dinosaur, illustrated by Donna Braginetz, Carolrhoda Books (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

Utahraptor: The Deadliest Dinosaur, illustrated by Donna Braginetz, Carolrhoda Books (Minneapolis, MN), 1996.

Dinosaur Worlds: New Dinosaurs, New Discoveries, Boyds Mills Press (Honesdale, PA), 1996.

Supergiants! The Biggest Dinosaurs, illustrated by David Peters, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 1997.

Bigger Than T. Rex: The Discovery of Gigantosorus, the Biggest Meat-Eating Dinosaur Ever Found, illustrated by Robert F. Walters, Crown (New York, NY), 1997.

All the Dirt on Dinosaurs, illustrated by Kevin Wasden, Tor Kids (New York, NY), 1998.

Dinosaurs to Dodos: An Encyclopedia of Extinct Animals, illustrated by Jan Sovak, Scholastic (New York, NY), 1999.

Scholastic Dinosaur Dictionary, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2001.

Biggest Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2001.

Baby Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2001.

Giants of the Sky, illustrated by John Bindon, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2002.

(With Hall Train) Triceratops, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2002.

Monsters of the Sea, illustrated by John Bindon, Grosset & Dunlap (New York, NY), 2002.

(With Hall Train) T. Rex, Candlewick Press (Cambridge, MA), 2002.

The Dinosaur Atlas: A Complete Look at the World of Dinosaurs, illustrated by John Bindon, Firefly Books (Buffalo, NY), 2003.

Scholastic Dinosaurs A to Z: The Ultimate Dinosaur Encyclopedia, illustrated by Jan Sovak, Scholastic (New York, NY), 2003.

Dino Don's Dinosaur Atlas, Key Porter Books (Toronto, Ontario, Canada), 2003.

Television writer and program host for the series Discovery and Nova, both for Public Broadcasting Service. Columnist, Highlights for Children.

WORK IN PROGRESS: The Smallest Dinosaurs, Giant Meat-Eating Dinosaurs, Duck-Billed Dinosaurs, Armored Dinosaurs, Giant Plant-Eating Dinosaurs, and Horned Dinosaurs, all in "Meet the Dinosaurs" series, illustrated by John Bindon, publication by Lerner Publications (Minneapolis, MN) expected in 2005.

SIDELIGHTS: Don Lessem once commented to CA: "Dinosaurs are my writing life, at least much of it. My job as I see it is to communicate the latest discoveries of dinosaurs to anyone who gives a hoot, especially kids. I do so via exhibits I build, such as 'Lost World' or 'Chinese Dinosaurs'; writing a column for Highlights magazine; creating the largest dinosaur charity; recreating the largest dinosaurs; advising on theme parks and movies; writing and hosting Nova and Discovery documentaries; AND writing books.

"While I've also written books on Amazon animals and mummies, I got onto dinosaurs visiting a Montana dig for a newspaper while a science journalism fellow at Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1988. I love the new discoveries, the remote locales, the characters who study dinosaurs, and the scavenger hunting that is much of the science. Many people, at least those under the age of ten, share that interest, fortunately, or I'd be working nights at McDonald's."

Lessem, whose engaging style and evident excitement about his topics, coupled with his dedication to providing accurate, accessible information on his subjects, has authored books popular with readers and critics alike. Nicknamed "Dino Don," Lessem is best known for his volumes on dinosaurs and the scientists who have dedicated their lives to uncovering the mysteries of these long-extinct animals. His first books, including Life Is No Yuk for the Yak, in which profiles of endangered species are accompanied by lighthearted limericks and Linda Bourke's cartoon illustrations, often combine science with a humorous approach. The majority of his books outline the history of and current findings about a wide variety of dinosaurs—their discovery, habits, environments, and time periods.

In addition to writing about dinosaurs, Lessem is the author of a book on the Amazon rainforest, Inside the Amazing Amazon: Incredible Fold-out Cross Sections of the World's Greatest Rainforest, in which the text augments oversize fold-out illustrations by Michael Rothman that detail plant and animal life in the world's largest rainforest. He is also the creator of The Iceman, a book describing the discovery of a 5,000-year-old mummy in the mountains of Europe and what scientists gleaned from it about the life of prehistoric Europeans, and Jack Horner: Living with Dinosaurs, a biography about John R. Horner, the chief curator of paleontology at the University of Montana and the scientific advisor on the film Jurassic Park; he is also a friend of the author. A writer who studied biobehavioralism and science journalism, Lessem is the founder of several dinosaur-related organizations, including the Dinosaur Foundation, Dinosaur Productions, and Dinosaur Exhibitions.

Notable among Lessem's many books on dinosaurs is Dinosaur Worlds: New Dinosaurs, New Discoveries, a work in which several of the most important sites where dinosaur remains have been found are introduced to the reader; Lessem also provides information on the environments, prey, and life cycles of a large number of the creatures. This "is a book that report writers and dinophiles won't want to miss," commented Stephanie Zvirin in Booklist. Lessem's books on individual dinosaurs include Raptors! The Nastiest Dinosaurs, Ornithomimids: The Fastest Dinosaur, Troodon: The Smartest Dinosaur, Seismosaurus: The Longest Dinosaur, and Utahraptor: The Deadliest Dinosaur, all part of a series on special dinosaurs published by Carolrhoda in 1996. In these books, Lessem gathers information on the discovery of the fossil remains of each dinosaur type and the paleontologists who found them as well as on how information about their abilities and habits has been deduced from the fossil evidence; in addition, the author speculates about possible evolutionary descendants of his subjects. "Lessem treats a popular topic adeptly, humorously, and with a balance of information that is both relevant and stimulating to read," remarked Olga Kuharets in a review of Seismosaurus and Utahraptor in School Library Journal. In her Booklist review of Ornithomimids and Troodon, Frances Bradburn commented that these "finely crafted" books offer "a fascinating look at how paleontologists discover the fossilized remains of these huge beasts." In addition, Lessem's texts are praised by critics for their clarity and organization of a wealth of fascinating material.

The Dinosaur Atlas: A Complete Look at the World of Dinosaurs is divided into the three eras in which dinosaurs lived, the Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous periods. Each section includes its own map showing where the various dinosaurs of the period were found on the continents as they then existed. The text studies each dinosaur and the environment in which it lived and is accompanied by facts in a sidebar titled "Dino Don Says." The book offers information on digs that students can visit, as well as Web sites that provide related information. In a review for Resource Links, Judy Cottrell wrote that The Dinosaur Atlas "is a wonderful book which takes a geographical approach to the study of dinosaurs."

Scholastic Dinosaurs A to Z: The Ultimate Dinosaur Encyclopedia, written at the elementary school level, presents dinosaurs alphabetically along with complete details about each. Common names point to the original scientific names, and many of the dinosaurs are shown in full-page color illustrations. Lessem tells readers how to participate in a dig and offers a bibliography of books, Web sites, videos, expeditions, and museums. School Library Journal's Steven Engelfried called the volume "an attractive and useful resource."

Lessem's dedication to introducing children and adults to the lives of the scientists behind the scientific discoveries has yielded such works as Kings of Creation: How a New Breed of Scientists Is Revolutionizing Our Understanding of Dinosaurs and Jack Horner: Living with Dinosaurs. In Kings of Creation, the author presents an overview of the explosion of new information that has become available over the last three decades, in which the popular image of dinosaurs has been completely revised by a group of scientists who have uncovered signs of intelligence, speed, and nurturing in species previously thought to be stupid, slow, and hostile even to their own offspring. Leading scientists, significant digs, and the new theories are all presented in a work in which Lessem, according to a reviewer for Publishers Weekly, "presents a lively sampling of current and significant work on dinosaurs worldwide. . . . This is the best book on the subject since Robert Bakker's Dinosaur Heresies and a treat for buffs."

In Lessem's book about Horner, the paleontologist with whom Lessem has written two books and with whom he worked as a consultant on the immensely popular film Jurassic Park, the author presents both personal background about Horner and his most famous scientific discoveries.

Lessem's books on dinosaurs and paleontologists have garnered widespread praise for their accumulation of a wealth of information on a topic of interest to many children. This information is consistently presented in an attractive, uncluttered format, in prose that critics consider both clear and inspirational, displaying the author's own enthusiasm for his subject. Lessem's books on the scientists whose lives have been dedicated to revising and augmenting what is known about dinosaurs display similar qualities, according to the author's reviewers.

"My aspiration," Lessem once commented,"is to continue providing children with what for so long they have lacked—current and accurate information on new scientific discoveries and the methods behind them in hopes of feeding their mania for dinosaurs and spreading it to all of science as a lifetime interest.

"I'm doing so most recently by not only writing but 'packaging' books, providing illustrators and graphics for publishers. I hope to continue as long as dinosaurs are still alive, at least in the imaginations of many of us."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

American Scientist, May-June, 1993, Thomas J. Rossbach, review of Kings of Creation: How a New Breed of Scientists Is Revolutionizing Our Understanding of Dinosaurs, p. 1480.

Appraisal, winter, 1995, pp. 112-114; winter-spring, 1996, pp. 35-36.

BioScience, March, 1995, Philip W. Signor, review of The Complete T. Rex: How Stunning New Discoveries Are Changing Our Understanding of the World's Most Famous Dinosaur, p. 221.

Booklist, April 1, 1992, Jon Kartman, review of Kings of Creation, p. 1419; January 15, 1993, Hazel Rochman, review of Digging Up Tyrannosaurus Rex, p. 896; April 15, 1993, John Kartman, review of The Complete T. Rex, p. 1480; April 15, 1994, review of The Dinosaur Society's Dinosaur Encyclopedia, p. 1551; November 1, 1994, Ilene Cooper, review of The Iceman, p. 496; November 15, 1994, Denia Hester, review of Jack Horner: Living with Dinosaurs, p. 596; October 1, 1995, Carolyn Phelan, review of Inside the Amazing Amazon: Incredible Fold-out Cross Sections of the World's Greatest Rainforest, p. 310; February 15, 1996, Frances Bradburn, review of Ornithomimids: The Fastest Dinosaur and Troodon: The Smartest Dinosaur, p. 1014; September 1, 1996, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Raptors! The Nastiest Dinosaurs, p. 121; p. 997; November 15, 1996, Stephanie Zvirin, review of Dinosaur Worlds: New Dinosaurs, New Discoveries, pp. 583-584; December 15, 2003, review of Scholastic Dinosaurs A to Z: The Ultimate Dinosaur Encyclopedia, p. 766; March 1, 2004, review of The Dinosaur Atlas: A Complete Look at the World of Dinosaurs, p. 1228.

Book Report, May-June, 1997, Joyce B. Fisher, review of Dinosaur Worlds, p. 42.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September, 1994, p. 17; December, 1994, p. 135.

Kirkus Reviews, May 15, 1994, p. 702; November 15, 1994, p. 1534; December 1, 1995, p. 1703.

Library Journal, April 15, 1992, Amy Brunvand, review of Kings of Creation, p. 118.

People, June 21, 1993, Jill Rachlin, review of The Complete T. Rex, p. 27; July 5, 1993, William Plummer, "Mr. Dinosaur," p. 69.

Publishers Weekly, March 2, 1992, review of Kings of Creation, p. 58; November 4, 1996, p. 78; January 20, 2003, "Dino-mite!," p. 85.

Quarterly Review of Biology, June, 1993, Edwin H. Colbert, review of Kings of Creation, p. 255.

Resource Links, October, 2003, Judy Cottrell, review of The Dinosaur Atlas, p. 25.

School Library Journal, March, 1978, p. 138; July, 1994, Jeanette Larson, review of The Iceman, p. 111; January, 1996, Susan Oliver, review of Inside the Amazing Amazon, p. 120; April, 1996, Cathryn A. Camper, review of Ornithomimids and Troodon, p. 147; September, 1996, Olga Kuharets, review of Seismosaurus: The Longest Dinosaur and Utahraptor: The Deadliest Dinosaur, p. 218; October, 1996, Cathryn A. Camper, review of Raptors!, pp. 135-136; December, 1996, Cathryn A. Camper, review of Dinosaur Worlds, p. 131; September, 1997, Cathryn A. Camper, review of Supergiants! The Biggest Dinosaurs, p. 232; December, 1997, Cathryn A. Camper, review of Bigger Than T. Rex: The Discovery of Gigantosorus, the Biggest Meat-Eating Dinosaur Ever Found, p. 140; December, 2003, Steven Engelfried, review of The Dinosaur Atlas and Scholastic Dinosaurs A to Z, p. 170.

Science Teacher, October, 1993, Richard Thomas, review of Dinosaurs Rediscovered: New Findings Which Are Revolutionizing Dinosaur Science, p. 80.

Scientific American, December, 1993, Philip Morrison and Phylis Morrison, review of Digging Up Tyrannosaurus Rex, p. 132; December, 1994, Philip Morrison and Phylis Morrison, review of The Iceman, p. 121.

Wilson Library Bulletin, April, 1994, James Rettig, review of The Dinosaur Society's Dinosaur Encyclopedia, p. 88.