#365PictureBooks 69. Gigantosaurus by Jonny Duddle

Duddle, J. (2014). Gigantosaurus. Gosford, Australia: Scholastic.

ISBN: 9781742761015
Pages: 32 - including 1 'fold-up' page
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 5 stars

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His feet go STOMP!  
His jaws go CRUNCH!  
In the blink of an eye you'll be his LUNCH!  

Are you ready to meet the GIGANTOSAURUS? 

Bonehead, Tiny, Fin and Bill are four tiny and terribly cute dinosaurs who like spending their days playing.  Their mums warn them to beware of the Gigantosaurus, but like most children do they take any notice?  Why, of course not!  Well actually ... Bonehead does.  He keeps tricking his friends by calling out the Gigantosaurus is coming.  But what happens when the Gigantosaurus really does come???  

What a gorgeous gorgeous book.  It initially reminded me of the Puff the Magic Dragon story, but the further through I read it appeared to be a dinosaur retelling of Peter and the Wolf.  Bonehead is a bit of a liar, and he eventually cries 'wolf' ... woops I mean 'Gigantosaurus' once too often. 

Told in rhyme, this is a great book to share with your dinosaur-loving children.  Younger children will enjoy having this read to them, while the language used is more suitable for older children to read alone.

Duddle's illustrations are fan-fraking-amazing.  I love love love Bonehead.  Each of his images seem to just pop with his courage and self-confidence ... especially the page where their mothers are trying to tell them to be careful.  He's like 'Yeah Yeah, whatever!'  While his friends are quaking in their boots.  Did I mention that they are really really cute???  

The amount of detail in each illustration is fantastic.  They are bright, clear and show so much.  If you look carefully you can see hints of all sorts of dinosaur formations hiding in the images.  And you also get to meet the dinosaurs in the book at the end.  There are two pages of dino facts for kids to enjoy.

What a great addition to your collection, whether it's because you are a dinosaur fan, you like a good read-aloud, or purely for the amazing illustrations.

I got my copy of Gigantosaurus from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 56. Jonathan! by Peter Carnavas, illustrated by Amanda Francey

Carnavas, P., & Francey, A. (2014). Jonathan! Frenchs Forest, Australia: New Frontier.

ISBN: 9781921928611
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 4 stars

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Jonathan loves dressing up and trying to scare his family.  But they don't find him at all scary or funny!  Disappointed that his scare tactics aren't working Jonathan goes outside and climbs a hill.  But it's not a hill ... it's a dinosaur!  What happens when Jonathan gets the dinosaur to help him scare his family?

A gorgeous simple rhyming story about something that most kids can relate to ... playing dress-up and trying to scare their families.  Each page has one short line of text, which leads into the next page with the animal noise that completes the rhyme.  There is also lots of repetition making this a great story for young children as they will quickly be able to pick up the rhyming aspect of it and the repetition of words.

The illustrations are bright and very realistic.  The facial expressions on Jonathan's face are just classic.  The illustrations are a mix of full colour, with a pale-washed background (like the walls or sky), and just the focus images on a white background.  The scenes really draw you in and make you feel like you are part of the image.

Lovely simple rhyming story to add to your collection.  Great for using with younger kids for imagination and word/sound association.

I got my copy of Jonathan! from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 26. The Dinosaur that Pooped the Past! by Tom Fletcher & Dougie Poynter, illustrated by Garry Parsons

Fletcher, T., & Poynter, D. (2014). The Dinosaur that Pooped the Past! London, UK: Red Fox.

ISBN: 9781782951780
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6 / Middle Childhood 7-12
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 5 stars

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Warning!  This book is not for the faint of heart!  If you are not a fan of Poo, or time travel, I beg you, do not read on!

Danny and his Dinosaur friend are back in a third poo-filled adventure.  After eating Grannies green sludge they head off to play on an old swing.  This is not a normal swing though.  It has time-travel powers and the duo find themselves flung back in time where they meet some new dino-friends ... in VOLCANO SEASON!  With a broken swing!!!  Oh oh!  How are they ever going to get back home?  Will Dinosaur be able to save them by pooping them back to the future??

Fletcher & Poynter have presented us with another rhyming and humorous story that is just as good as the first two (The Dinosaur that Pooped a Planet! and The Dinosaur that Pooped Christmas!).  I dare you to read it and not laugh.  It's got all the things that boys like; dinosaurs, time travel, adventure, oh ... and poo.  Lots and lots and lots of poo!  An three really really cute dinosaurs - Dino Dudes A, B and C. 

Young children will love the fun of a pooping dinosaur, though a lot of the humour may be over their heads.  There is a lot of quite complicated language and odd phrases that older students will be more confident with.  Also the older kids will just love the grossness of the story and it will make a great read-aloud for them to share with their younger buddies, as the rhyme is easy to pick up.

Parson's illustrations are a perfect match to the hilarious time-travelling historical story.  Most of the backgrounds use very muted colours, and some of his illustrations are predominantly monotone - like the scene with Granny serving her green sludge - with only Danny & the Dinosaurs being the main point of colour. 


This series of books by Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter are soooooo popular at our school.  Yes it's boy humour, but you'd be surprised just how many girls love toilet humour too.  Yep!  I'm one of them!!

A great read-aloud, though maybe not at bedtime when you are trying to settle your children down!   Perfect for young children and old alike.

I got my copy of The Dinosaur that Pooped the Past! from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 11. There's a Dinosaur in my Bathtub by Catalina Echeverri

Echeverri, C. (2014). There's a Dinosaur in my Bathtub. London, UK: Bloomsbury.

ISBN: 9781408839393
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 3 stars

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And another dinosaur book.  Sorry.  I do like them.  And this time it's a clean on :-) 

'Hello!  My name is Amelia and I have something very important to tell you.

Shhh! 

It's a secret so you mustn't tell anyone in the whole world ... OK?'

Amelia has a friend called Pierre visiting from France.  Only ... he's a dinosaur.   And he is in her bath.  Which makes it very difficult when Amelia's mother and father want to use the bathroom.  Luckily he's really good at hiding.  And Amelia is actually the only person who can see him.

This story is told in the first person with Amelia describing her adventures with Pierre.  Actually this book makes me think of a photo-essay type book with the images and text combining to give the reader a 'you-are-there' feeling.  

Echeverri's illustrations remind me of Lauren Child's style - kind of a collage effect.  In fact there are a number of pages where the images appear three-dimensional - like when they are sailing their bathtub to magical lands.  They tie in really well with the story.  And they are very bright and colourful.  

There is one page that you need to turn length-ways to read ... after all you can't fit a giant ice cream onto a standard page, can you?

I particularly like the page where Amelia's parents are trying to get into the bathroom.  Poor Pierre looks so worried!  There are two pages showing just how good Pierre is at hiding - very clever dinosaur!  

This is a dinosaur book for GIRLS to enjoy.  After all most dinosaur books have BOYS in them, but there are none to be seen in here... well except for Pierre and her dad.

A gorgeous story about imaginary friends.  Even though I've listed it as an Early Childhood 0-6 book I believe it will be enjoyed by many of our slightly older kids, especially as it has a lot of 'bigger' words in it.  It will be especially good for buddy reading or as a bed-time read by parents. 

I really wanted to love this book, but I felt that some of the pages were just too busy, and at times the language comes across as too 'old' for the intended audience.

I got my copy of There's a Dinosaur in my Bathtub from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 10. YIKES, Stinkysaurus! by Pamela Butchart, illustrated by Sam Lloyd

Butchart, P., & Lloyd, S. (2014). YIKES, Stinkysaurus! London, UK: Bloomsbury.

ISBN: 9781408837078
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 3 stars

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On a bit of a dinosaur roll here....  

Poor Stinkysaurus has a bit of a problem.  He's the scariest dinosaur by far, but that is purely because he is so DISGUSTING! None of the other dinosaurs want to play with him.  He even manages to kill plants!  One day Triceratops has decided she's had enough.  They have to get him clean.  But how to do it?

The story is told in simple rhyme using language that younger children can understand.  The layout and font of the text has been done in a in a way that beginning readers can easily read alone.  Each two-page spread has one verse of the rhyme.  Bold, and larger font, is used to emphasise particular words which will help beginning readers make the story interesting when they read it.

Lloyd's illustrations are in keeping with the intended age group.  They are very simplistic, but children can still clearly make out the different dinosaurs.  All the dinosaurs faces are drawn side-on while their facial features are displayed front-on, giving the dinosaurs a very cute appearance.  Lloyd's use of bright colours for the dinosaurs with slightly muted or toned down colours for the background images really make the dinosaurs the focus of the illustration.

The yuck factor is clearly visible in the illustration of Stinkysaurus.  Pong fumes radiating off him, snot dripping from his nose, and a green tinge to his body (You'll realise later on that his natural colour is not greeny-orange!!).  He's also a bit of a snotty sneezer.  I particularly like the page where he covers all the other dinosaurs in green goo - ICK! 

This is a cute story about personal hygiene using dinosaurs as the focal point.  Young kids will enjoy the humour and icky illustrations, while hopefully taking on board the need for their own personal cleanliness.  It's definitely a story aimed at younger children, and I'm sure our year 1's will love it. 

I got my copy of YIKES, Stinkysaurus! from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

Woops! I couldn't find a copy at our local public library.

#365PictureBooks 9. Dinosaur Doo by Andrew Weale, illustrated by Joelle Dreidemy

Weale, A., & Dreidemy, J. (2012). Dinosaur Doo. London, UK: Hodder Children's Books.

ISBN: 9781444901634
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 4 stars

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Spark is a young cave boy who lives in a lovely green valley with his friends.  Oh, and don't forget the dinosaurs who live there too.  There is just one tiny little problem though. 

'What do the dinosaurs ALL love to do?

Stinky great heap loads of dinosaur POO!'

Luckily Spark loves to invent things and he comes up with a cunning plan to make the poo disappear.  Spark is a born leader and he soon has his friends running around making his contraption.  But will it solve their problems?

Told in an easy to follow rhyme, Weale takes children on a hilarious poo-filled adventure through prehistoric time and the inventiveness that all children have (no matter the time period they come from).

Dreidemy's bright illustrations add beautifully to the story.  The looks on the dinosaurs faces as they proceed to poo are just awesome.  It's as if they take immense delight in 'doing their business'!  Of course the Brachiosaurus is too tall to fit on a normal page, so you have to turn the book sideways to see it 'rain' down on the kids.  And the looks of horror and disgust on the kids faces is classic! 

I love everything about the illustrations, from the abnormally coloured trees (bright pink and turquoise), to the looks on the characters faces.  There is the cute front and end papers with scribbled images of the dinosaurs and the pronunciation of their names, and a fabulous 'name-plate' page with a dino on a toilet reading the Daily Doos.  Oh, and who can forget the piles of poos!

This is a fantastic book for kids about two topics they tend to enjoy - Dinosaurs and Poo!  I'm sure my older readers will enjoy it more than the younger ones it is intended for.  The amount of pleasure year 6's derive from toilet humor is a sight not to be missed :-)

I got my copy of Dinosaur Doo from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.

#365PictureBooks 8. Dinosaur Farm by Frann Preston-Gannon

Preston-Gannon, F. (2013). Dinosaur Farm. Gosford, Australia: Scholastic.

ISBN: 9781742760766
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 4 stars

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Following on from yesterday's, instructional style, guide book on how to train a train, today's little gem is a a guide to farming. 

Taking care of dinosaurs is hard work.  Actually being a farmer of any kind is hard work (daughter of a farmer blogging!!).  You have to wake up early, make sure the animals are fed, cleaned, cleaned up after, and looked after!  Whew!  And dinosaurs are no different ... just BIGGER.

This beautiful book takes children through the day-to-day routine of being a farmer.  It's told in simple text with one chore per page.  Children can relate to many of these tasks if they have a pet which the help to look after.  
The only indication that this is not a traditional guide book is in the title and the illustrations.

On it's own the text is really instructional and quite basic and monotonous.  Where this book comes into it's own is in the use of the illustrations to accompany the text.  So cleverly done!

Preston-Gannon's illustrations are quite collage-like in effect.  Almost like one of those felt boards that children can add bits to to make up their own picture.  She uses bright, bold colours and the images are simply drawn but very clear in what they depict.  The expressions on the characters faces tells so much of the story, and the way she uses the images as a play on the text is just brilliant. 

There are so many humorous things to see on each page - from the dinosaur 'dog' riding on the tractor, the stegasaurus' chasing after the farmer for their breakfast, having to use a ladder to wash the dirty Brachiosaurus, to finally crawling into bed at night ... with a few extra bed-mates.  ;-) 

Our kids love dinosaur books.  This one will be enjoyed not just for the dinosaurs but for the humorous way Preston-Gannon tells about a chore that so many children can relate to - looking after pets.

I great addition to your collection.  It is a gorgeous book for young children to read and enjoy and will invite discussion with each other and their parents.  A lovely bed-time story.  For teaching purposes it is a good example of how children can take their own story or diary writing and turn it into something fun and interesting.  It's also a good way of showing children that it's not always about what is being said - that their images, previous knowledge or past experiences can cast a different understanding on what they hear.

I got my copy of Dinosaur Farm from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

Woops, I couldn't find a copy at my local library.
Check out other reviews of Dinosaur Farm on Goodreads.

#365PictureBooks 4. Dinotrux by Chris Gall

Gall, C. (2012). Dinotrux. New York, NY: Little, Brown and Company.

ISBN: 9780316133920
Pages: 32
Age Level: Early Childhood 0-6
Genre: Picture Storybook
Rating: 4 stars

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Honk! Bam! Burp! Crunch!

Look out cavemen, or you’ll be lunch!

Millions of years ago prehistoric TRUCKS roamed the earth.

They were HUGE.

They were HUNGRY.

But they weren’t helpful like they are today.

They rumbled, roared, and chomped.

And they did NOT get along well with others.

They were called …

DINOTRUX

This is a great twist on the dinosaur theme and will be popular for kids that like the Transformer movies. Gall's simple text with the different fonts make it a visually interesting read for children.

I love his illustrations. They have a dirty look to them which ties in nicely with the story of dirty, smelly, dinosaurs. You can spend simply ages trying to see the similarities between the real dinosaur and the Dinotrux, and trying to figure out what different parts of the truck make up each Dino. They have so much character to them.

Children can continue reading the Dinotrux series as there are a number of early readers published or being published.

I got my copy of Dinotrux from the Taradale Primary School library where I work. 

You can find a copy at Napier Libraries.