Dinosaurs Before Dark

The novel opens by immediately foreshadowing the presence of real “monsters” (dinosaurs) in the story, as Annie calls to Jack that she’s found “[a] real monster in Frog Creek, Pennsylvania” (1). Neither of them knows yet that they will soon encounter larger-than-life creatures as they travel back in time to meet dinosaurs. Annie’s reference to a monster also allows Osbourne to characterize the difference between the two main characters. Jack is ever cautious and focused on what he can perceive as “real” while Annie is always ready for an adventure and ready to imagine. Together, their characterization introduces the theme of Balancing Caution and Daring, as Jack embodies the former and Annie the latter. To immerse themselves in and then leave the Cretaceous Period in which they find themselves, Jack and Annie need to work together, and their caution and daring end up complementing one another in their shared exploration.

Osbourne also introduces the theme of Learning Through Exploring in this first section of chapters. The Magic Tree House series highlights different parts of history and the natural world, and this first entry is no different. Jack and Annie already value reading, which the author illustrates through how excitedly open the books they find in the tree house, but traveling back in the tree house lets them live out the experience of learning. Even nervous Jack recognizes this, thinking that “it would be good to examine a Pteranodon” (22). He wants to learn; it’s in his nature. Annie, on the other hand, excitedly immerses herself in the new environment, boldly petting the dinosaur. As a result, both she and Jack discover new things about the creatures they’re surrounded by.

Osbourne complements this theme with books as a recurring motif. The tree house is filled with shiny new books and dusty old ones. These books become their guide to the unknown and unexpected, as the author peppers in real facts about dinosaurs to help readers learn too. For example, the fact that the Pteranodon is from the Cretaceous Period and vanished from Earth 65 million years ago tells both Jack and Annie where they are in time, helping them to learn about the age of these extinct creatures.

Dreaming and Magic is the third major theme in this novel, and it is most apparent through the magic tree house itself. The author builds suspense around it and its mystery owner from the start. For example, Annie’s comment “[t]hat must be the highest tree house in the world” might be a child’s exaggeration (3), but it lends gravity to the structure. Additionally, Jack points out that he’s never seen it before, establishing that this isn’t a familiar site to residents of Frog Creek. Instead, its appearance, in addition to its powers, is a mystery.

Osbourne also highlights the magic of the tree house through the repetition of how it moves. Both Jack and Annie’s trip to and return from the Cretaceous Period begins with a sense of stillness following the tree house’s rotating “faster and faster” (13). The repetition of these words creates a near-eerie sense of significance to the moments of travel between periods. Jack and Annie only have to wish with the appropriate book in hand to activate the tree house’s powers, but there is no explanation of why or how the tree house can do what it does. Additionally, the presence of the Pteranodon outside also adds to the dream-like state, so much so that Jack tells Annie to “[s]top pretending!” when she points at it outside the window even before they go to the dinosaurs’ time. Nothing about the tree house seems real, and yet, Jack and Annie at the end of the novel will both comment about how certain they are that it was. The Pteranodon becomes a firm symbol of their adventure as the first dinosaur they see, touch, and look up in the dinosaur book.