This is article is by Publisher Spotlight intern Tricia LeMorte.
Dinosaurs seem to have their claws on the imaginations of children—and adults—everywhere. Some people love dinosaurs as big, scary, prehistoric creatures that can teach us about what Earth was like before we were here. But, in the world of children’s books, dinosaurs tend to be cute, fun characters that you can use to tell all kinds of stories. Dinosaurs may be extinct in real life, but you can find plenty of them among the pages of these ROAR-some titles from our publishers!
Don’t Mix Up My Dinosaur is the perfect board book for little ones who love to touch anything and everything. This Tiger Tales title by Rosmund Lloyd, illustrated by Spencer Wilson, has a rotating wheel of 5 different types of dinosaur tails and horns, all with different textures. Make sure to match the right tail to the right dino!
If you’ve got slightly older dino fans on your hands, another great Tiger Tales title is Dinos Don’t Give Up!, written by Smriti Prsadam-Halls and illustrated by Richard Merritt. Dinah the Dinosaur is amazing at just about everything she puts her mind to. But when surfing proves to be a bit more challenging, Dinah must learn with the support of her dino friends that sometimes, what’s more important than being the best is to just keep trying—and having fun!
What type of car would a t-rex drive? A monster truck, according to Pajama Press’s Dinos Driving! This perfect book for new readers, written by Lynn Leitch and illustrated by Scot Ritchie, imagines how all kinds of different dinosaurs would get around if they could drive, complete with adorable pictures showing off their cool rides.
In some books, dinosaurs drive cars; in others, dinosaurs are the cars! Leilong’s Too Long, written by Julia Liu, illustrated by Bei Lynn, and published by Gecko Press, tells the story of Leilong the brontosaurus who also happens to act as a school bus. When his job starts to cause issues for other cars on the road, Leilong must find a new way to serve his community. Use this sweet story to teach kids that everyone has their own special gifts and talents, and that anyone can find a way to fit in!
If you’re looking for more dino stories that spark the imagination, look no further than Benny the Bananasaurus Rex by Sarabeth Holden and illustrated by Emma Pedersen! In this whimsical title from Inhabit Media, the only thing Benny loves more than pretending to be a dinosaur is eating bananas. His anaana (the Inuktitut word for “mom,” which just so happens to nearly rhyme with banana) warns him that if he eats too many bananas, he may turn into one. With Benny’s wild imagination, her warning may just come true!
If da Vinici Painted a Dinosaur fromTilbury House is the perfect title for young art lovers! This book, written by Amy Newbold and illustrated by Greg Newbold, is the perfect mix of entertaining and educational! It walks readers through various major artists from throughout history, using dinosaurs to demonstrate their art styles. It even has a space for children to create their own dinosaur artwork, and, for the most curious readers, excellent back matter on all the artists mentioned.
For older children who love dinosaurs, we have Love: The Dinosaur, by Frédéric Brrémaud with illustrations by Federico Bertolucci, published by Magnetic Press.This book is a part of the Love series, which imagines what the day-to-day lives of ferocious predators might be like. Kids who aren’t too scared of big, angry dinosaurs will love this graphic novel! These dinos aren’t like the other ones in this roundup—they look and act more like we think actual dinosaurs did.
We hope these books spark your imagination about dinosaurs—and maybe even teach you a thing or two along the way!