Dinosaurs Before Dark

The concluding chapters of Dinosaurs Before Dark both conclude the danger Jack and Annie face with the Tyrannosaurus rex and set the series up for the children’s next adventure. As a result, only two of the three themes receive complete resolution, with the theme of Dreaming and Magic left open as they consider further investigating the magic tree house and its capabilities.

The theme of Caution and Daring reaches a climax for Jack when he is forced to take action to return to the safety of the magic tree house and his own time. He wants to act with caution, thinking through every option and wondering, “What should I do? […] Should I run? Crawl back into Dinosaur Valley? Climb the magnolia tree?” (56). From Jack’s reference to observing dinosaurs like a scientist, it’s clear that he often approaches problems with caution and by thinking them through all the way. However, the tenseness of the moment and the Tyrannosaurus’s presence force him to make a choice quickly, especially once the Pteranodon lands in front of him. For Jack, this is a crucial moment in the development of his character because he has to act without really thinking it through. He even doubts that the winged creature can hold his weight; however, he just has to trust that it will all work out. Jack is then rewarded with the experience of a lifetime and relishes “sail[ing] over the hilltop and over the valley” (59). The exhilaration of the flight even spurs Jack to use Annie’s nickname for the Pteranodon, waving “Bye, Henry!” as it flies off. Having received a positive result from making an impulsive choice, Jack is changed, and he knows that will never forget that flight. Daring, for him, balances with caution.

The theme of Learning Through Exploring also wraps up at the conclusion of the novel as the children return to familiar territory. However, to make it back to the present, they have to apply their learning. In Jack’s case, he has to be mindful of what he knows about the Tyrannosaurus, being very careful considering how dangerous it is. For Annie, however, she uses what she learned about the friendliness of the Pteranodon to rescue Jack. Her daring has paid off; by greeting and then making friends with Henry earlier in the novel, she is then able to draw on that friendship to direct it to Jack’s aid. Moreover, the children’s return to the present in the tree house is also entirely reliant on a book of information about Frog Creek. Without this book, they can’t make it back. Osbourne highlights Jack and Annie’s thirst for knowledge and more exploratory adventures at the end of the story as they decide to return to the tree house the next day.

The theme of Dreaming and Magic is not meant to have a conclusion in this work. The author has set up the series such that Jack and Annie are not meant to discover everything there is to know about the tree house. The source of its magic remains a mystery, but it is clear that its mystical qualities have enthralled the children after two trips within it. Even though they know that rationally what they have experienced is impossible, agreeing that “[n]o one’s going to believe our story” (70), Jack, thinking scientifically, has many questions, wondering “But how?”

On the other hand, Annie easily accepts what happened, concluding “simply” that “[w]e took a trip in a magic tree house” (68). Her acceptance of it, however, helps to validate Jack’s growing belief in magic, especially as he holds the medallion. This item is a tangible symbol of the magic of the tree house, shaking off Jack’s feeling that “the trip to dinosaur time did seem more and more like a dream” (72). With it in hand, he dispels his doubt, insisting to Annie that they will see what happens next, establishing the fact that future adventures in the tree house remain ahead in the next book in the series.