When we were in Washington DC last week we went to the Smithsonian and saw real dinosaur bones! Despite being jet-lagged and understandably (but still a little frustratingly) whiny it was still super exciting and the inspiration for this post! Here are seven fun books about dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs Roar, Butterflies Soar! by Bob Barner. They say don’t judge a book by its cover but this cover was so bright and inviting I popped the book in my bag without so much as reading the title. It turned out fine for me, this easy non fiction book is a wonderful way to explain to kids how the dinosaurs became extinct but that some even more outwardly fragile species like the butterfly survived. One thing I really appreciate about this book is that on each page there are two sections of text in different fonts. The larger font tells the main simpler explanation while the second paragraph in the smaller font goes into more scientific detail for older or more advanced kids. My son loved it and I would say judging it by its cover was pretty accurate.
Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton has always been a favorite of mine for introducing dinosaurs to young kids. It’s very basic, very bright and has the fundamental facts about dinosaurs without loading toddlers down with too many facts to sort through. The illustrations are bright, fun and descriptive on their own and will keep even the most fidgety 3 year old entertained.
Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs! by Sandra Boynton is a cute little book about opposites with dinosaurs as its characters. This is a good book for little ones who love dinosaurs. But aren’t really ready to dive into facts about dinosaurs yet. The melodic rhyming text and adorable pictures appeals to younger toddlers. And on the page where the dinosaurs are called bad for painting on their friends made both me and my son laugh.
Tadpole Rex by Kurt Cyrus is one of those books that I wonder why I’ve never read before. It’s so good! It could be used in a dinosaur unit to talk about how large the dinosaurs was. Its illustrations show the size difference between a frog and a dinosaur beautifully from the frogs perspective. It could be used to teach about the frog life cycle as well. What I loved though was the rhyme and rhythm the book had, it was almost musical and in a book about frogs and dinosaurs that is awesome!
Good Night, Dinosaurs by Judy Sierra is a tongue twister and I love it! I have a hard time pronouncing dinosaur names, but the cute little rhymes she writes to go with each really help. The book is simple, parent dinosaurs tucking in and getting their little dinosaurs ready to fall asleep. Your child will love the catchy “Good Night Dinosaurs, Sleep Tight Dinosaurs, Good Night Dinosaurs, Goodnight!” I know I did.
Dinosaur Roar! Board Book by Paul and Henrietta Stickland and is a board book that I’ve read often enough , I don’t need to look at the book. The premise is simple, using 2 different dinosaurs every page illustrates a pair of opposites. Toddlers and young preschoolers adore this book and I can’t blame them, it’s adorable and a great tool for teaching !
How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? by Jane Yolen is another favorite. I like the whole series and think this book is a great one to read before doctor appointments. Especially if you have a child like mine who is never happy to go! I like how the dinosaurs give examples of how not to behave before correcting themselves. You can pretty much guarantee your preschooler will have corrected them already. I love the details in Mark Teague’s illustrations and never tire of reading this book. Even when my son grabs it again and again.
Does your child read books about dinosaurs? Comment the name below or share on my Facebook page!
For more quick tips on helping your child learn to read check out my book; Raising A Rock-Star Reader. It is packed with fun ideas for families, book lists, and advice for parents.
Samantha says
Tadpole Rex was a huge hit at our house! 🙂
.-= Samantha´s last blog ..You capture: Quiet =-.
Tami says
Julia Donaldson,
Tyrannosaurus Drip
about a Duck billed dinosaur raised by a family of t-rex’s. We love it
.-= Tami´s last blog ..Ghost Moon ACEO =-.
admin says
Sounds like a great book- I am adding it to my list, thanks!
Deborah says
This is a great assortment and review of dinosaur books!!
.-= Deborah´s last blog ..Sweet glue for creative art in preschool =-.
Laura says
Oooh, you picked some great ones! Since my eldest is 16 and was HUGE into dinosaurs, we’ve been dino-book fans for a long time. Two of our faves (besides the ones you mentioned!) are If the Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most and Patrick’s Dinosaurs by Carol and Donald Carrick.
Melissa says
I just wanted to say thank you! I have been stopping in on a regular basis for a couple months now. The kiddos and I have really enjoyed a few of the ideas you have shared, ecspecially the ones which include items we would otherwise throw out. So thanks for sharing!
Mama Jan says
We’re reading a LOT of dinosaur books these days. My two-year-old loves the book “I’m Bad” (by Kate & Jim McMullan) — also “How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food” & “How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight” (Jane Yolen).
.-= Mama Jan´s last blog ..Be my LUCKY winner! =-.
Meli_Mama says
The trucks book by Byron Barton is a favorite around here. I’ll have to check out his dinosaur book. We have a great factual book about dinosaurs for parents who believe in creation vs evolution and have a hard time like me with some of the other dinosaur books out there. It’s called What Really Happened to the Dinosaurs by John Morris and Ken Ham. It even goes through different biblical verses that reference dinosaurs. The illustrations are colorful, but like with a lot of factual books the pages are long. It’s divided into 3 sections about 8 pages long. My 4 year-old son will sit through only 1 section at at time.
Zoe @ Playing by the book says
10 terrible dinosaurs also by Paul Stickland is a dino book that has stood the test of time in our house. Three others that we’ve enjoyed, and reviewed are here: http://www.playingbythebook.net/category/subjects/dinosaurs/ – Dinosaurs and all that rubbish by Michael Foreman is probably my favourite.
.-= Zoe @ Playing by the book´s last blog ..The perfect distraction… =-.
paul stickland says
Woohoo! Thanks for the mention of my books Dinosaur Roar and Ten Terrible Dinosaurs, they were such fun to do. I have six children who have all been dino crazy at one time or another, seven if you include me! If anyone is interested, I have put loads of my dinosaurs on baby, toddler and kid’s clothing, posters, cards, invites and all sorts of jurassic gifts!
Please do visit my dinosaur blog and have a peep http://dinosaurdinosaur.tumblr.com/
or my home blog which shows what goes on behind the scenes in the Stickland household http://paulstickland.tumblr.com/
I’m going to have a good poke around your great blog before I have to get on drawing some silly fish for my new book, pics on the blog.
dana says
dinosaur roar has a new companion pop up book called dinosaur galore which we love! i think it has the same or virtually the same text as the original.
.-= dana´s last blog ..Mothering Sunday =-.
Jen says
Another fun one that I read to my Kindergartener the other day is Tyrannosaurus Reg- surprise ROAR at the end! (written by Dan Crisp) I’ll have to check out a few above that we haven’t read yet. I love Sandra Boynton!!
Jen
Creative and Curious Kids!
.-= Jen´s last blog ..Easter Giveaway! =-.
Debra says
Love your blog! My 2 year old loves “Mine-o-Saur” – great lesson about sharing.
Lynn says
This was fantastically time. My little boy broke his leg, and we are pretty much housebound for 6 weeks. We made a list of activities – one per day – until his cast comes off, and one was a dinosaur book party. I just brought your list to our local library. :). Thanks! We also like “Bones, Bones.”
Lynn says
Bones bones dinosaur bones by Byron Barton was the one I meant :). And we like Patrick’s dinosaurs too!
tara says
We also love Linus the Vegetarian T. rex by Robert Neubecker!