Dinosaurs! Dinosaurs!

I love books about dinosaurs! The more the better - so I was ecstatic when two show up in my review basket.
themes: dinosaurs, imagination, adventure

Never Follow a Dinosaur
by Alex Latimer
32 pages; ages 4 - 8
Peachtree Publishers, 2016

One afternoon, Joe and his sister Sally spotted a strange set of footprints.

When Sally asks who made them, Joe is certain they are dinosaur footprints. The intrepid duo set out to follow them. They pass by the empty pet food dish. "It must be a very hungry dinosaur," said Sally.

What I like about this book: you can almost hear the scary music building in the background as Sally and Joe follow footprints that indicate a hungry, heavy dinosaur. They follow clues that lead them to think the dino has been dancing, swimming... and then they decide to build a trap. Then they learn that hungry dinosaurs should be left alone.

Author/illustrator Alex Latimer takes on dinosaurs in a fun way. You can see some of his artwork at his website, and read reviews of his previous books, Pig and Small and Lion vs Rabbit.

Dinosaurs in Disguise
by Stephen Krensky; illus. by Lynn Munsinger
32 pages; ages 4-7
HMH Books for Young Readers, 2016 (out Nov. 1)

Most people believe that dinosaurs are long gone.
But not me.

The young narrator of this tale is certain that the dinosaurs that ruled the earth for millions of years could have survived the impact of an asteroid. They're not extinct, just smart enough to stay hidden - especially once humans emerged on the planet.

What I like about this book: the imaginative ways that dinosaurs could blend in to our modern world. "You can find them if you look hard enough," says the narrator - and he sees them everywhere, from traffic light supports to department store Santas. As he imagines dinos in the present era, he realizes that humans might have to clean up the place a bit before the dinos come out of hiding.

Beyond the books:

Cut out some dinosaur footprints and create a trail for a friend to follow. Here's one way, and here's another. Check out these dinosaur footprints found in Australia just last month! You could also cut some dinosaur footprints into a potato and make potato-print trails ... perhaps a birthday card or a treasure map where footprints lead to the treasure.

Find places dinosaurs might hide if they were in disguise. Are there places in your neighborhood? Could they be disguised as workers? Lamp posts? Draw a picture showing how you would hide if you were a dinosaur.

Make a picnic and invite a dinosaur along. If you are wondering what dinosaurs eat, check out Archimedes Notebook for ideas. 

Today is PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copies provided by publishers.

Let's Read Week: Hiding Dinosaurs

Hiding Dinosaurs
by Dan Moynihan
24 pages; ages 4-8
Holiday House, 2015

It's breakfast time, but the eggs are too old to eat. Not only that, they're moving. Next thing you know, they've hatched and the unnamed main character has half-a-dozen baby dinosaurs on his hands.

They're cute. And they're hungry. And if mom sees them ... uh-oh. Here she comes. Whew! she thought they were toys. The problem is: how do you hide dinosaurs?

When they're small it's easy - stuff them under the bed. But what about when they get too big to fit under there? You can only keep your mom out of your room for so long... and eventually she'll find out.

This is a perfect book for dino-loving just-learning-to-read kids. Because, who wouldn't want a bunch of toy-sized live dinosaurs living in their bedroom? Which leads one to wonder:

• what would you feed these dinosaurs?
• how fast will they grow? and how big will they get?
• will they make noise and disturb the neighbors?

To find answers to those questions, you'll need to go on a field trip to the library. Check out the nonfiction section (567's) and also look for some picture books that feature dinosaurs (How do Dinosaurs eat their food? say goodnight? go to school?). Draw a picture of a dinosaur, or make some dinosaur finger puppets to be your reading buddies.

Click here for some more tips on how to get your child to love reading (from Reading is Fun) - and check out yesterday's post for more reading tips.

Dino Week - If I Had a Raptor

If I Had a Raptor
by George O'Connor
32 pages; ages 3-7
Candlewick Press, 2014

 This book will engage you from the minute you open the cover... where you see a young girl gazing into a box labeled "Free Raptors". Who hasn't walked by a box of free (fill in the blank) and wanted to take one home?

Theme: friendship, pets

"If I had a raptor, I'd want to get her as a baby, when she's all teensy and tiny and funny and fluffy." The illustrations make you just want to go "awww-www" and look for something cuddly to scratch behind the ears.

What I like about this book: As the girl explains what she'll do with her pet raptor, it grows larger and larger. We learn that raptors like to bask in the sun and snuggle in the clean laundry. They sleep all day long and can be picky about their food. They like to pounce on things, too.

I also love the expressions George O'Connor gives the raptor - especially the "who me?" look some of us cat-owners know all too well.

Beyond the book:  Unfortunately, O'Connor doesn't get into the downside of pet ownership. The pooper-scoopers and clawed furniture.... Which leaves lots of room for imagination.

Write a guide for how to raise your favorite dinosaur. In addition to the cute and cuddly things, add important info about the kind of kibble you need to feed it, how to brush its teeth, and best strategies for keeping it from leaping onto the table (or begging for food scraps during meals).

Head over to Archimedes Notebook today to learn more about dinosaurs and find some other activities. Today's review is also part of PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copy provided by publisher.

Dinosaur Week - Tyrannosaurus Wrecks

This week I'm digging into dinosaur books - here on Sally's Bookshelf and over on Archimedes Notebook where I'll highlight some great nonfiction dino books. Come back Friday for another book and some stuff to do.

Tyrannosaurus Wrecks!
by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen; illus. by Zachariah OHora
32 pages; ages 4-8
Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2014

It's a perfectly normal day in the classroom. Apatosaurus is busy coloring, Pteranodon's busy with scissors and paper, and Velociraptor's sprinkling glitter everywhere. But not Tyrannosaurus - he can't seem to do anything right. No matter whether they're writing at the board, reading books in the quiet corner, or building towers with blocks.... Tyrannosaurus WRECKS it all!

What I love about this book - besides its wonderful rhyme and wacky imagination - is that Sudipta B-Q gives each little dinosaur its full multisyllabic name. And kids LOVE to say those names: Iguanodon, Stygimoloch, Styrachosaurus. For parents (and anyone else) who needs extra help, there's a handy-dandy illustrated pronunciation guide on the endpapers.

If you want to know what it would be like to be a young dinosaur, head over to Archimedes Notebook for a review of If You Were Raised By a Dinosaur. See you Friday for more dino-antics.
Review copy provided by publisher.

Are the Dinosaurs Dead, Dad?

Are the Dinosaurs Dead, Dad?
by Julie Middleton; illustrated by Russell Ayto
32 pages; ages 4-8
Peachtree Publishers, 2013

When Dad takes Dave to the museum, Dave wants to know absolutely and for-surely whether the dinosaurs are dead. Because the armor-plated Ankylosaurus is winking at him, and the Deinocheirus is trying to tickle him with its long, long arms. And there's an Allosaurus with very sharp teeth.... "It's just your imagination," Dad says. These dinosaurs are dead. Really dead. So why is that one following them?

Theme: father and son; visiting a museum; dinosaur diversity

Why I love this book: because, really, when I was a kid visiting the museum, I always wondered what would happen if those huge dinosaur skeletons weren't really dead. And what they would look like with skin on. And whether I could run fast enough if one wanted my PB&J sandwich...

Things to do: Imagine dinosaurs! Draw, paint - oh the ways they could look if we use our imagination.

Head to the  Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History where you can take a virtual tour of their dino exhibit, go on a dig, or find out just about anything you'd want to know about dinosaurs.

See how scientists view their work:


This review is part of PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books. Review copy provided by the publisher.