Dogasaurus, by Lucinda Gifford

One day, Molly was walking in the forest when a Mysterious Thing rolled out from behind a fern.
And, even though she knew she shouldn’t,
Molly took it home.

Molly lives on a peaceful farm near a Mysterious Forest, which she loves to explore. When she finds a Mysterious Thing, she decides to take it home and, when it hatches and out comes a baby dinosaur, she decides to keep him as a pet, and name him Rex. But Rex grows quickly, and Molly soon realises that having a dinosaur on a farm can be a big problem.

Dogosaurus is a humorous offering, which youngsters will lvoe for its silliness. At the same time, the gentle underlying messages of conversation and ownership are valuable. Rex is a friendly looking, playful dinosaur with goggly eyes and a goofy smile so that even when he wreaks havoc, he is endearing to readers.

Great for young dinosaur fans, or anyone who needs a smile.

Dogosaurus, by Lucinda Gifford
Scholastic Australia, 2018
ISBN 9781743810712

500 Minutes of Danger, by Jack Heath

As soon as her foot hit the quicksand, Ella knew she was doomed…
Panic gripped her chest. ‘Help!’ she screamed. ‘Someone help me! Please!’
Insects buzzed. Birds chirped. But there were no voices. No help was coming.

A girl trapped in quicksand, with no chance that anyone will hear or. A boy trapped in what seems to be a coffin. And a girl, searching for a lost heirloom, instead finding  killer crocodiles on the rampage.

The ten stories which make  up 500 Minutes of Danger are high-action, fast paced stories each of which sees a young character engaged in a life and death struggle, with plenty of cliffhanger moments and twists and turns. Each story stands alone and can be read in about half an hour. But, as the book progresses,  readers gradually become aware that the stories are linked and that seemingly unconnected events and characters are all overshadowed – literally – by one big menace.

Perfect for reluctant readers.

500 Minutes of Danger, by Jack Heath
Scholastic, 2017
ISBN 9781743816493

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Dinosaur Trouble #1 and #2, by Kyle Mewburn & Donovan Bixley

There is only one reason why Arg is bored:
1. He is never allowed to do anything exciting.
Arg is not allowed to go hunting with his dad. He is not allowed to explore the jungle, or play by the lava pits. Arg’s mum thinks everything is too dangerous.

Arg is bored AND hungry. He isn’t allowed to go hunting, or do anything else interesting. But when Mum brings home some eggs, Arg finds out this egg is more interesting that expected. There’s a cute dinosaur inside. Arg’s the only one who knows, and he wants to keep it that way so that his new friend isn’t eaten.

The Great Egg Stink is the first book in the new Dinosaur Trouble series, featuring cave boy Arg and his Stone Age family. the second book, The Lava Melt shake, shows Arg figuring out a way to stop lava from wiping out the village.

Both books are easy to read, short chapter books with black and white illustrations on every spread, and lots of humour mixed with action.

Suitable for newly independent readers, each book stands alone.

Dinosaur Trouble: The Great Egg Stink ISBN 9781775433668
Dinosaur Trouble: The Lava Melt Shake ISBN 9781775433675
By Kyle Mewburn & Donovan Bixley
Scholastic, 2017

How Many Dinosaurs Deep? By Ben Kitchin ill Vicky Fieldhouse

Jim was learning how to swim. He had just gone up from the baby pool to the middle-sized pool.
‘Don’t worry,’ said his mum. ‘It’s not that deep. I don’t think the middle-sized pool would even come up to a Stegosaurus’s knee!’
‘Really?’ said Jim as he edged away from the water.
‘A Stegosaurus must be big! How deep can water get?’

Jim is a bit apprehensive about the deeper water in the middle-sized pool and his swimming lessons. He’s also obviously keen on dinosaurs. Mum relates the depth of this and other water to a scale he can visualise – that of dinosaurs. As he questions his mum and she answers in ‘dinosaur scale’, he gradually overcomes his fear of this new pool. A final spread at the completion of the story offers dinosaur information and images. Illustrations are in watercolour and black pencil.

Dinosaurs are fascinating for so many children, and many master the complex pronunciations and collect myriad facts long before they can write those names or the information. Here, a realistic fear is overcome by connecting it to Jim’s fascination for these extinct animals. Mum relates this experience to Jim’s interest and diverts his fear into curiosity about other waters and their depth relative to different dinosaurs. On one level this is a story about fear of water, but it also offers the opportunity to talk about science and measurement. And dinosaurs. Recommended for pre- and junior-primary readers.

How Many Dinosaurs Deep? Ken Kitchin ill Vicky Fieldhouse
New Frontier Publishing 2017 ISBN: 978925059731

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller
www.clairesaxby.com

I Wanna Be a Great Big Dinosaur by Heath McKenzie

More than anything else in the

Whole wide world, I wanna be a

great

BIG

DINOSAUR!

More than anything else in the

Whole wide world, I wanna be a

great

BIG

DINOSAUR!

A small, very active and noisy boy wants to be a dinosaur. Fortunately, a dinosaur overhears him and helps teach him the things that he must do to be a Great Big Dinosaur. He teaches the boy how to roar, stomp and eat. In turn, the boy teaches the dinosaur what it is to be a little boy. Illustrations are loud and enthusiastic and full of energy. Text types also show that this is not a quiet book. Endpapers offer more traditional dinosaurs, with the endpapers suggesting some behaviour adaptations once dinosaurs have communed with little boys!

Many young children, particularly boys, go through a dinosaur-obsessed period. I Wanna be a Great Big Dinosaur!captures just how loud and wild and exuberant this can be. But it also reminds young dinosaur-wannabes in a very gentle way that there are things that are very enviable about being a little boy. Mostly though this is just a joyous romp through childhood. Sure to become a favourite of pre-schoolers everywhere.

I Wanna be a Great Big Dinosaur!, Heath McKenzie
Scholastic 2015
ISBN: 9781743626009

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

My Dinosaur Dad by Ruth Paul

This dad is TALL,

this dad is SQUAT.

This dad is HUGE,

This dad is NOT.

This dad is TALL,

this dad is SQUAT.

This dad is HUGE,

This dad is NOT.

‘My Dinosaur Dad’ introduces a range of dinosaur dads, describing both their physical attributes and also their behaviours. The narrator’s dad is the final dad to appear and his arrival sends most of the others packing. But despite his reputation and apparent behaviour, to the young dinosaur, this is merely Dad. ‘My Dinosaur Dad’ is a large format, heavy paper, paper back, suitable for very young children. Images are simple and clear although there are also other animals flitting about each opening. Some of these other animals are there to provide scale and interest. Foliage is often stylised but provides an introduction to ancient flora. Dinosaurs appear in a wide range of gentle colours and patterns.

My Dinosaur Dad is a perfect introduction to dinosaurs, so beloved of young children. But rather than offer too much information, it presents them as loving and attentive fathers. There are dinosaur fathers of all shapes and sizes, likes and behaviours. Most readers will recognise aspects of their fathers in these pages. Ruth Paul has had fun with her patterning and colouring of the dinosaurs. In addition to introducing dinosaurs, ‘My Dinosaur Dad’ offers opposites (tall/squat, chunky/thinner) and words (spiky/prickly, knobbly/tickly) that are fun to say and explore. There are plenty of extra details for young readers to enjoy, including young dinosaurs mimicking their fathers with varying degrees of success. Ideal for pre-schoolers.

My Dinosaur Dad, Ruth Paul Scholastic NZ 2013 ISBN: 9781775431749

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller

www.clairesaxby.com

The Little Dinosaur by Catriona Hoy illustrated by Andrew Plant

Millions of years ago, in a time before Australia existed, there was a land called Gondwana. It was very cold there, even in summer. In winter it was dark all day and all night.

Millions of years ago, in a time before Australia existed, there was a land called Gondwana. It was very cold there, even in summer. In winter it was dark all day and all night.

The Little Dinosaur begins many millions of years ago, when dinosaurs roamed the land we now call Australia. The reader is introduced to a specific dinosaur, now known as a Leoellynasaura amicagraphica, who lived – and died – so long ago. Skip forward to now, when a bone, buried for so long, is discovered by a palaeontologist. Slowly, carefully she works with the rock that holds the bone. Working with a team of experts, the palaeontologist recreates this little dinosaur, so she can be introduced to the world. The cover shows the little dinosaur sitting atop a rock, queen of her world. End papers spill with information about prehistoric Australia and about dinosaurs. Illustrations are a mix of full colour spreads and vignettes, in warm and cool colours that evoke the seasons. They are full of prehistoric details, down to the particular species of Thylacine portrayed.

The Little Dinosaur is firstly a picture book for sharing with dinosaur-lovers. The author is a senior science teacher and the illustrator well-known for his depictions of dinosaurs. Together they provide a reading experience that combines the imagined world of an individual and factual information about the environment in which she and others lived. It links the living dinosaur and her world with today and the way we learn about the past. It also introduces those who work to understand more about these fascinating animals. For the classroom, The Little Dinosaur provides the basis for introducing many science concepts to young students. Gondwana with its very different climate, landscape and animals. Food chains, palaeontology, and much more. There are multiple links to curriculum. Recommended for lower- to mid-primary readers and dinosaur fans of any age.

The Little Dinosaur

The Little Dinosaur, Catriona Hoy ill Andrew Plant
Working Title Press 2012
ISBN: 9781921504396

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Robert Irwin Dinosaur Hunter 1: The Discovery, 2: Ambush at Cisco Swamp, 3. Armoured Defence and 4: The Dinosaur Feather.

Robert Irwin, son of Steve and Terry, brother of Bindi, now has his own series. But where Bindi’s books are about her adventures at the family’s Australia Zoo, Robert is obsessed with slightly older animals. Prehistoric in fact. Robert is a huge fan of dinosaurs. In the first title, Robert finds himself crossing from the present to the mid-cretaceous period where he encounters real dinosaurs.

The assassin focused in on his target.

It was going to be easy. The target was concentrating so hard, there was no way he’d notice the stealthy footfalls of the assassin as he came at the target from behind. It was going to be the easiest job the assassin had had in ages. So easy, he wondered if he should delay it until the target could at least put up a bit of a fight.

Nah, he’d destroy him now anyway.

Then he could go dirt bike riding.

Robert Irwin, son of Steve and Terry, brother of Bindi, now has his own series. But where Bindi’s books are about her adventures at the family’s Australia Zoo, Robert is obsessed with slightly older animals. Prehistoric in fact. Robert is a huge fan of dinosaurs. In the first title, Robert finds himself crossing from the present to the mid-cretaceous period where he encounters real dinosaurs. Fortunately, his natural (genetic?) ability to ‘read’ animals is combined with the knowledge he’s garnered allow him to understand a little about what’s going on. And there’s a lot going on. Along the way, he learns more about dinosaurs than most people will ever know. In subsequent titles, he visits other periods, meets other dinosaurs in their natural habitat.

Many young children, boys particularly, develop an intense fascination with dinosaurs. Robert, star of these novels, is no different. Well, except that he gets to live his fantasy by visiting these amazing creatures in their habitat. More and more is becoming known about dinosaurs and children are adept at searching out knowledge when they are passionate about it. Young readers will understand Robert’s thirst for knowledge and empathise with his frustration that not everyone shares his passion. How can they not? But even if Robert wasn’t known because of his famous family, young readers would flock to this series written for the dino-phile. Recommended for newly-confident readers moving from illustrated texts towards novels.

The Discovery (Robert Irwin, Dinosaur Hunter)

Robert Irwin Dinosaur Hunter 1: The Discovery Random House 2013 ISBN: 9781864718454

Robert Irwin Dinosaur Hunter 2: Ambush at Cisco Swamp Random House 2013 ISBN: 9781864718461

Robert Irwin Dinosaur Hunter 3: Armoured Defence Random House 2013 ISBN: 9781742750910

Robert Irwin Dinosaur Hunter 4: The Dinosaur Feather Random House 2013 ISBN: 9781742750927

review by Claire Saxby, Children’s Author

www.clairesaxby.com

Dinosauritis, by Jeannette Rowe

Darwin was a normal child,
who used to run and go quite wild.
Until one day he clamped his claws,
around a plastic dinosaur.

Darwin loves dinosaurs, and nobody is better at talking about dinosaurs than Darwin. He can say all their names, and impresses everyone he meets. Everyone that is except Sally Dolomide, who knows just as much about dinosaurs as Darwin does. Darwin starts to feel quite ill and when his mum finally calls a doctor, the diagnosis is serious – Darwin has Dinosuaritis!

Dinosauritis is a fun flip the flap story of a dinosaur obsessed boy, filled with dinosaurs enough to please any child who, like Darwin, is dinosaur crazy. The pictures are big and bright, and the flaps on every spread encourage interaction. There are also bonus dinosaur facts and games at the back of the book.

A fun offering for sharing.

Dinosauritis: A Flip-the-Flap Dinosaur Tale

Dinosauritis: A Flip-the-Flap Dinosaur Tale, by Jeannette Rowe
Allen & Unwin, 2012
ISBN 9781743310120

Available from good bookstores or online.

Millie's Something Special, by Tania Cox & David Miller

Millie sighed. “How can I be brave? I’m too small to stomp and roar and my feather’s aren’t meant for flying.”

Poor Millie. A small dinosaur with a long feathery tale, she has no means of protecting herself from big, bad Reggie. Each of her friends has something special to make them feel brave. But not Millie. She doesn’t thinks he’ll ever find her something special. Until she comes across Reggie late at night and is surprised when her tail tickles him and makes him laugh. At last it seems she’s found her special skill.

Millie’s Special Something is a delightful tale about unique talents, bravery, friendship – and the fun of tickling, too. Tania Cox’ text is beautifully brought to life by the paper sculpture illustrations for which David Miller is well known, full of detail and quirkiness.

Youngsters will love the dinosaur characters, and the message is gentle. Suitable for early childhood classrooms and at home enjoyment.

Millie's Special Something

Millie’s Special Something, by Tania Cox & David Miller
Working Title Press, 2012
ISBN 9781921504389

this book is available from good bookstores or online from Fishpond. Buying through this link supports Aussiereviews.