If you haven’t already read Brian Switek’s My Beloved Brontosaurus (the New York Times called it “a delight,” and said “[t]his may be the one book for catching up on what has become of the dinosaurs you thought you knew from grade school”) here’s a chapter excerpt on the evolution of bird feathers for your weekend reading consideration. If you have kids, you may find it helpful in fielding their questions about dinosaurs; turns out dinosaur science has changed a bit since we learned it. (Now that Pluto and the Brontosaurus have been displaced from the scientific canon, I have no idea whether ANYTHING I remember from high school science classes is still correct! Probably not; when I was in school, Protista were still their own kingdom.)
My Beloved Brontosaurus – Chapter excerpt
My Beloved Brontosaurus on Amazon.com