Today’s review concerns the precursor/companion book to Titanosaur: Life as the biggest dinosaur, created for the brief return of the “Dippy” skeleton to the NHM in 2022 during its wider tour of Britain. “Dippy” is the nickname often given to a specific copy (or cast) of a particular skeletal mount of Diplodocus, which stood for years in the main hall of the NHM London. I sadly wasn’t present for its return, though I bought myself a leftover copy of this book while was in town for TetZooCon 2023 and visited the Titanosaur exhibit.
As a beloved former icon of the NHM, Dippy: The Nation’s Favorite Dinosaur is certainly aptly titled, even if, like the book’s POV character, there were 6-year-olds by the time of this book’s release who had grown up never knowing the NHM with Dippy in it. On that note, this book debuts Waterhouse the Mouse, also the protagonist of Titanosaur, who awakes on the morning of Dippy’s sudden return. Hardly before he has time to wonder at it, however, a booming voice begins describing various facts about Diplodocus to our curious investigator, (and by extension, to the readers as well).
The artwork looks fairly similar to that in the Titanosaur book & exhibit, though there’s a subtle difference I can’t quite put my finger one. If you forced me to say, I might decide this one has a “sketchier” or “looser” feel to it, while the sequel feels like it has a slightly “cleaner” or more “precise” graphic design quality to it, but I’d struggle to describe exact examples of why I get that general vibe. There are both more “precise” illustrations in this one and “sketchier” designs in the other, so maybe I’m just blowing smoke. I do like it, either way, and I’m willing to excuse some of the more imprecise illustrations in the name of artistic license. (…even if, however, I’m always a fan of books like Mammoth is Mopey that manage to strike a balance between the two considerations!)
As for the facts, though, this book is far more detailed than the Titanosaur book, with a lot more information packed into it, despite being printed at a smaller physical size than the Titanosaur book. Not only is there more writing per page, but it just barely beats its successor out in total page count, as well.
As a fan of the history of paleontology, I’m also pleased to see that the book covers the human side of Dippy as well as general facts about Diplodocus as an animal. There is a bit of an over-simplification when Waterhouse is told simply that the U.S. industrialist Andrew Carnegie “decided to buy” the skeleton: he was in fact unable to buy a complete skeleton, and so funded an expedition to find one instead. The rest of it is essentially correct though. The most complete skeleton found during said expedition did have a few pieces filled in from other specimens, and this formed the basis of the skeletal mount that we know today. From there, he ordered the creation of several exact reproductions to be sent around the world, one of which was received by the NHM London.
Dippy sadly no longer resides at this museum, however, having been replaced by Hope the Blue Whale skeleton in the main hall. Dippy has since gone on tour throughout Britain to great acclaim, though as a page in this very book inadvertently demonstrates, many people felt there was no reason to remove Dippy in the first place, as Hope is suspended in a midair swimming pose with more than enough room for Dippy to have remained standing under her. Perhaps one day, Dippy could settle back down in its original home, maybe in a pose recalling Natee Himmapaan‘s “passing of the baton” tribute art of the two of them together (with adjustments for the shape of the hall, of course).
Even though Dippy itself no longer resides at the NHM, Dippy: The Nation’s Favorite Dinosaur remains perhaps the best children’s book on Diplodocus specifically. You’d probably have to go back to the old Rourke dinosaur series to even find a book that ONLY centered around Diplodocus, so if it happens to be your favorite dinosaurs, then this is certainly a must-have! I rather enjoyed it, myself, and I am happy to give it my Dino Dad Stomp of Approval!
Dino Dad Reviews 
“Among other things, we learn through Waterhouse’s exploration how the U.S. industrialist Andrew Carnegie bought the skeleton.”
Sadly, this is completely wrong. Carnegie read a newspaper report of a “skeleton” (which turned out to be a single bone) and instructed W. D. Holland, director of the Carnegie Museum, to acquire it, but that was a bust. Instead, Carnegie funded the expedition that found the specimen that would form the bulk of the “Dippy” mount.
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Ah, dang it. I’ll update my review to reflect that.
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