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ROAR! Fiercely Favorite Dinosaur Books for Kids
By Stacy Parish, Children’s Department
With the recent release of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom, the fifth film installment in the Jurassic Park series (F CRICHTON, the book from whence it all began, just so you grownup types will know) playing in a theater near you, what better tie-in than a blog about dinosaurs for those who are too young to get in to see a PG-13 flick?
Let’s start off with two options from the fabulous Mo Willems: Edwina, The Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct (J E WILLEMS) and Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs. Everyone in town loves Edwina, and what’s not to love? She makes excellent chocolate chip cookies, has spectacular fashion sense, but most of all, she is a great friend. So when oppressive know-it-all Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie delivers a report to his classmates on “Things That Are Extinct,” no one really listens to him . . . no one except Edwina, that is. Hoobie-Doobie pontificated at great length as to the truth about dinosaurs, and Edwina was shocked (or “shook,” in today’s parlance.) But you know what? Edwina didn’t care! And by the end of his lecture, neither did RVHD. He was so stoked that someone finally listened to him, and was just pleased to enjoy Edwina’s friendship, along with a batch of her famous cookies. The subtle irony of the situation, combined with Willems’ signature artwork, make this a delightful read. Added bonus: cameo appearances by Willems’ Pigeon and Knuffle Bunny.
Further evidence of Mo Willems’ brilliance is found in Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs (J E WILLEMS), his sly and hilarious adaptation of the classic fairy tale. Behold: “Once upon a time, there were three hungry Dinosaurs: Papa Dinosaur, Mama Dinosaur . . . and a Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway. One day—for no particular reason—they decided to tidy up their house, make the beds, and prepare pudding of varying temperatures. And then—for no particular reason—they decided to go . . . someplace else. They were definitely not setting a trap for some succulent, unsupervised little girl. Definitely not!” Hysterical, I tell you.
Here we have the perfect explanation for those trying times when you can’t find your mascara, and you are certain that you put it back in your traincase, or the crayons are inexplicably scattered across the playroom floor, and you know you stowed them neatly in their container before going to bed. What The Dinosaurs Did Last Night: A Very Messy Adventure by Refe and Susan Tuma (J E TUMA) is a whimsical and imaginative tale that will appeal to those of us who occasionally scoff at following the rules. See also: What The Dinosaurs Did At School by the same authors.
Rounding out the picture book category in today’s blog are the numerous How Do Dinosaurs . . . titles by Jane Yolen 
and Mark Teague (J E YOLEN). The problem-solution formula for this series helps children and parents or caregivers navigate various situations such as anger management (How Do Dinosaurs Say I’m Mad?), personal responsibility and ownership (How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms?), social interaction (How Do Dinosaurs Play With Their Friends?) and many other scenarios. My personal favorite in the series is How Do Dinosaurs Go To Sleep?
For those times when you need more than a cute bedtime dinosaur story and want to expand your factual knowledge of prehistoric creatures, these two nonfiction choices fit the bill perfectly. Dinosaurs: A Visual Encyclopedia (J 567.9 DIN) and Ultimate Dinopedia: The Most Complete Dinosaur Reference Ever (J 567.903 LES) both contain profiles of hundreds of dinosaurs, including several recently discovered dinos. 
Darling Reader, wasn’t that ever so much better than watching a bunch of ill-mannered, poison-spitting, computer-generated dinosaurs? Happy reading!
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