This was easily one of the most formative books of my childhood; every time I re-read it I get a lovely warm glow of nostalgia. The illustrations/paintings are remarkable, the story full of the same energy and whimsy and wonder of the great adventure classics like Journey to the Center of the Earth and Treasure Island, and the characters -- human and saurian -- are great. (But yeah, weren't the early 90s AMAZING for the dinosaur-obsessed? Jurassic Park, Dinotopia -- hell, even the Power Rangers had dinosaur-shaped Zords!)