Dino-Dinners

The Oviraptor would settle for pinecones, but if he spotted a "fat, crispy beetle" on a pile of dino poop that was it. YUM! Millions and millions of years ago there were lots of dinosaurs to watch out for and if you just happened to be alive then you might have been a little snack like that beetle. There was the Euoplocephalus with his "armored led, armored body, armored face" and a clubbed tail. There were many like the Tyrannosaurus rex, the Triceratops, the Edmontosaurus, the Velociraptor, the Coelophysis, the Iguanodon, the Baryonyx and the Brachiosaurus. Velociraptor Big or small, there's no escape once my gang give chase, We sprint . . . and leap, climbing leathery mountains of dino flesh with the huge claws on our feet. Then comes our favorite part- EAT! EAT! EAT! This is a fun book that both the serious and non-serious dinosaur lover will get a lot out of, including a bit of giggle time. The authors don't gloss over certain facts of life and the words "fart" and "poop" are used, but not overused in the text. Each beautifully illustrated dinosaur is on a two-page spread. On one side is a nice story book blurb about the dino and on the other is some factual material with simple line drawings. You will learn the pronunciation of the name, when they lived, their size, diet, etc. In the back of the book is a glossary and a brief timeline. If you give this one to a youngster in your house and you hear a big guffaw, you'll know he or she has hit the last poop page!

What a great approach: a fun book which has delighted my daughter with a combination of facts about her favourite subject (dinosaurs) with prose which gently celebrates the grisly and gruesome side of nature (including some mildly rude words about bodily functions). Each two page spread features a scene and a short piece of prose or rhyme about the eating habits of a famous, or not so famous dinosaur. Side bars add facts and dates, whilst a glossary defines some of the more obscure phrases (serrated teeth, omnivore). Following a similar format to Yum-Yum and other books in the Wonderwise series by the same authors this book is a perfect example of how to bridge the gap between fact and fiction for early school and pre-school aged children. A must for young lovers of dinosaurs.