The Land Before Time (book)

The Land Before Time is a 1967 children's book drawn and written by the South African-born Wikus Williams and published by Fidget Books, which features dinosaurs living in prehistoric times.

The plot concerns a young named Littlefoot, who is orphaned when his mother is killed by a vicious carnivore. Littlefoot flees and upheaval to search for the Great Valley, an area spared from devastation. On his journey, he meets four young companions: Cera a, Ducky a , Petrie a , and Spike a. The book explores issues of prejudice between the different species and the hardships they endure in their journey as they are guided by the spirit of Littlefoot's mother and forced to deal with a "sharptooth".

The Land Before Time was first adapted into the big screen as a 1968 Hong Kong stop-motion animated film of the same name, and later a South African puppet television series from 1976 to 1977. It then spawned a franchise with a directed by  and executive produced by  and, fourteen direct-to-video sequels, a television series, video games and merchandise, none of which had Bluth, Spielberg nor Lucas' involvement.

Plot
During the age of the dinosaurs, a massive famine forces several herds of dinosaurs to seek an oasis known as the Great Valley. Among these, a mother in a diminished Apatosaurus (or "longneck") herd gives birth to a single baby, named Littlefoot. Years later, Littlefoot encounters Cera, a "three-horn" (Triceratops), until her father intervenes and tells her that three-horns don't play with longnecks, whereupon Littlefoot's mother describes other kinds of dinosaurs, who only associate with their own species. That night, as Littlefoot follows a "hopper" (Triadobatrachus), he encounters Cera again, and they play together briefly until a large "sharptooth" (Tyrannosaurus) attacks them. Littlefoot's mother comes to their rescue, fending off their attacker by bashing it with her large tail and long neck, but is mortally wounded in the process. The large predator, rather than consume Littlefoot’s mother, leaves the scene. His mother does not die instantly, drifting in and out of consciousness. Littlefoot and Cera were eventually separated from their families due a massive earthquake that slit the land. Littlefoot won’t leave her side, so she gives her son some words of advice about finding the Great Valley before she dies: "Littlefoot, let your heart guide you. It whispers, so listen closely." An earthquake swallows up the sharptooth and divides Littlefoot, Cera, and other dinosaurs from their herds; several die in the process. Confused and in grief, Littlefoot meets an old dinosaur named Rooter (who is also narrating the story), who consoles him. He is then guided by his mother's voice telling him to follow the sun to the Great Valley and pass several landmarks, such as a rock formation that resembles a Longneck and the "Mountains that Burn" (volcanoes).

Later, Littlefoot meets a "bigmouth" (Saurolophus) named Ducky and a "flyer" (Pteranodon) named Petrie, who accompany him on his journey. Cera, who is attempting to find her own kind, finds the unconscious sharptooth inside a ravine and inadvertently wakes him up. She escapes and bumps into Littlefoot, Ducky, and Petrie; she tells them that the sharptooth is alive and pursuing them, but Littlefoot does not believe her. As Cera describes her encounter, she accidentally flings Ducky in the direction of a lone hatching "spiketail" (Stegosaurus), whom Ducky names "Spike" and inducts into the group. Seeking the Great Valley, they discover a cluster of trees, which is abruptly depleted by a herd of longnecks. Searching for remaining growth, they discover a single leaf-bearing tree, and obtain food by stacking up atop each other and pulling it down. Cera remains aloof, but at nightfall, she and everyone else gravitate to Littlefoot's side for warmth and companionship.

The next morning, they are attacked by the sharptooth, but they manage to escape through a tunnel that is too small for him to follow. Beyond this, they discover the landmarks mentioned by Littlefoot's mother. Before the volcanic range, a clash between Littlefoot's intention to follow his mother's directions and Cera's strong-willed insistence on going a different way results in a fight breaking out between them that causes the others to follow Cera, forcing Littlefoot to continue alone. However, when Ducky and Spike become endangered by lava and Petrie gets stuck in a tar pit, Littlefoot returns to rescue them. Cera gets ambushed by a pack of "domeheads" (Pachycephalosaurus) who are also living in the Mountains that Burn; the rest of the group pose as a tar monster, scaring away the domeheads and frightening Cera. When she realizes who it really is, Cera angrily leaves the group. It is not long, however, before it becomes clear that her pride had been wounded, as Cera is reluctant to admit that her stubbornness and selfishness nearly put others in danger. Later, while crossing a pond, Petrie overhears the sharptooth nearby. The group devises a scheme to lure him to the pond and drown him in the deep side using a nearby boulder. During the ensuing struggle, a draft from the sharptooth's nostrils enables Petrie to fly for the first time.

The plan nearly fails when the sharptooth begins attacking the boulder while the group attempts to push it onto him. However, Cera, having finally overcome her sorrow, reunites with the group and headbutts the boulder, causing the sharptooth to fall into the water below, the boulder crashing into him in the process. The sharptooth momentarily takes Petrie down with him, seemingly to his death, but Petrie later emerges unharmed. Littlefoot alone and on the verge of giving up looking for the valley, follows a cloud resembling his mother, which guides him to the Great Valley. He is then joined by the others. Upon arrival, the five are reunited with their families: Petrie impresses his family with his newfound flight; Ducky introduces Spike to her family, who adopt him; Cera reunites with her father; and Littlefoot finds his grandparents. The group then rejoins at the top of a hill and embrace each other in a loving hug and became friends.