James Gurney
Sandbox Scribes  1992

Three-toed dinosaurs such as the Ornithomimus serve as scribes in Dinotopia, since they are "fine dancers with good, clear footprints."

Early wisdom was recorded on ancient scrolls, but gossip, ideas, and anecdotes are generally written out in a sandbox, where they can be easily erased.

The artist establishes a sense of scale in this image by surrounding Arthur, Will, Bix and the librarian, Nallab, with several curious readers.  Clockwise from the left, these include the enormous Stegosaurus, Chasmosaurus, Pachycephalosaurus, and Saltasaurus.

Illustration for Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time
Oil on board

Link to image of plaque at Norman Rockwell Museum