National Dinosaur Day is on Saturday, May 15, 2021! Here are some dino-myte reads to celebrate.
Dino Detective and Awesome Possum, Private Eyes: The Case of the Nibbled Pizza
By Tadgh Bentley
80 Pages | Ages 6-8 | Paperback
ISBN 9780593093498 | Penguin Workshop
By veteran author-illustrator Tadgh Bentley comes a new series, chronicling the misadventures of a dynamic detective duo. When Grandma Thunderclaps’s pizza is found with all the pepperoni missing, who’s to blame? Dad’s been at work, Grandma’s a strict vegetarian, and everyone knows Plant couldn’t be the culprit. . . . So with a thirst for the truth, and a hunger for justice (and pizza), our heroes are on the case! With full-color illustrations on every page, this humorous story is perfect for kids just beginning to read on their own.
Dino-Gro
By Matt Myers
48 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780593179871 | Random House Studio
Cole is very excited about his new Dino-Gro toy. He can’t wait for it to reach its full size! But when Dino-Gro becomes much larger than intended, Cole goes so far as to put Dino-Gro on a liquid-free diet and an exercise regimen, which don’t seem to make a difference! As Dino-Gro becomes so big that he can’t fit in the house, Cole learns that growing up and getting bigger can have advantages too, even if you’re not a dinosaur.
Dinosaurs Before Dark: Graphic Novel
By Mary Pope Osborne
Illustrated by Kelly Matthews and Nichole Matthews
Adapted by Jenny Laird
176 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780593174715 | Random House BFYR
Where did the tree house come from? Before Jack and Annie can find out, the mysterious tree house whisks them to the prehistoric past. Now they have to figure out how to get home. Can they do it before dark . . . or will they become a dinosaur’s dinner? For the first time in graphic novel, live the adventure again in the very first Magic Tree House book, with new art from comic artists Kelly and Nichole Matthews!
Dinosaur Hidden Pictures Puzzles to Highlight
By Highlights
32 Pages | Ages 6-9 | Paperback
ISBN 9781644723357 | Highlights Press
The perfect gift for any dinosaur-loving child, this collection of Hidden Pictures puzzles offers a unique puzzling experience. Kids can use the included bright green highlighter to find hundreds of hidden objects and create fluorescent scenes. This dinosaur activity book with inverted white-on-black puzzles combines the fun of coloring with highlighters and the enduring popularity of intricate Hidden Pictures puzzles. Dinosaur-themed images such as dinosaurs at the dentist, a dinosaur construction site, and a dino rock band pair with Highlights’ trademark humorous illustrations, creating a fun and engaging puzzling activity perfect for the whole family.
Gigantosaurus: Five-Minute Stories
By Cyber Group Studios
192 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781536218008 | Candlewick Entertainment
Join prehistoric pals Rocky, Bill, Mazu, and Tiny as they discover a mysterious dinosaur egg, get lost inside a spooky cave, save an endangered species, and more. Little ones are invited to follow the four dinosaur friends as they adventure and explore throughout Cretacea – and watch out for GIGANTO! Each of the seven stories in this treasury – Don’t Cave In; Rock Out, Rocky; The Last Dragonfly; Smart Move, Mazu; Dream Big, Bill; Try Again, Tiny; and The Lost Egg – can be read aloud in no more than five minutes. They all feature characters from the animated series Gigantosaurus, based on the book by Jonny Duddle.
If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur
By Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Colin Jack
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781770495685 | Tundra Books
If you happen to have a dinosaur, lying around your living room, and you don’t know what to do with it . . . why don’t you use it as a can opener? It will make a terrific nutcracker too! There are oodles of uses for a dinosaur – from a fine umbrella to an excellent kite and a dandy pillow, not to mention a reliable burglar alarm and the perfect excuse to forget your homework. This delightfully absurd exploration of the domestic uses of dinosaurs – and the things dinos just aren’t good for at all – is guaranteed to tickle funny bones and spark imaginations. If you read carefully, you’ll learn how to make your dinosaur last a very long time.
Jacob Two-Two and the Dinosaur
By Mordecai Richler
Illustrated by Dusan Petricic
104 Pages | Ages 9-12 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780887769269 | Tundra Books
When his parents bring a little green lizard home from their vacation in Kenya, Jacob Two-Two is thrilled. But as the days pass, he realizes that Dippy isn’t just an ordinary lizard at all. In fact, it becomes obvious to Jacob that Dippy’s not so little either. As Dippy grows bigger and bigger, he begins to attract some very big attention from some very important people. Before Jacob realizes, he is on the run from the entire government of Canada – and with a full-grown dinosaur!
Nibbles: The Dinosaur Guide
By Emma Yarlett
36 Pages | Ages 3-6 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735270718 | Puffin Canada
Nibbles the mischievous book monster is back and he’s chewed his way into a book about dinosaurs! Young readers will not only be tickled as they search each page for Nibbles, but also entertained as they are introduced to Triceratops, Velociraptors, a Tyrannosaurus Rex, and more! With bright and lively illustrations, this book has something for everyone.
One-osaurus, Two-osaurus
By Kim Norman
Illustrated by Pierre Collet-Derby
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781536201796 | Candlewick
Look there, in a child’s bedroom, where some prehistoric pals are gathered in a counting game. Nine dinosaurs are playing a sing-song rendition of hide-and-seek – but something isn’t adding up. Where is number ten? Stomp, stomp, stomp! CHOMP, CHOMP, CHOMP! Ready or not, here he comes, and he sounds . . . big! With big, bold numerals, an array of dinosaurs in comical poses, and a humorous twist at the end, this tribute to a child’s imagination makes learning numbers a gigantic treat.
Peter Lee’s Notes From the Field
By Angela Ahn
Illustrated by Julie Kwon
312 Pages | Ages 9-12 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735268241 | Tundra Books
Eleven year-old Peter Lee has one goal in life: to become a paleontologist. Okay, maybe two: to get his genius kid-sister, L.B., to leave him alone. But his summer falls apart when his real-life dinosaur expedition turns out to be a bust, and he watches his dreams go up in a cloud of asthma-inducing dust. Even worse, his grandmother, Hammy, is sick, and no one will talk to Peter or L.B. about it. Perhaps his days as a scientist aren’t quite behind him yet. Armed with notebooks and pens, Peter puts his observation and experimental skills to the test to see what he can do for Hammy. If only he can get his sister to be quiet for once – he needs time to sketch out a plan.
Princesses Versus Dinosaurs
By Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Joy Ang
40 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780735264298 | Tundra Books
This is a princess book! No, it’s a dinosaur book! No, it’s . . . a T. rex book? A dragon book? A rubber ducky book?! From Linda Bailey, award-winning and critically acclaimed author, and Joy Ang, Adventure Time-artist and illustrator of the Mustache Baby series, comes an irresistibly irreverent picture book in which plucky princesses and determined dinosaurs have a battle royale over whose book this is. When they start calling in the big guns – or rather, the big carnivores – and decide to build a wall to resolve their differences, princesses and dinosaurs alike learn a thing or two about open-mindedness and sharing.
Regina Is NOT a Little Dinosaur
By Andrea Zuill
32 Pages | Ages 3-7 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780593127285 | Schwartz & Wade
When Regina’s mother heads off to hunt, she tells her little dinosaur: stay in the nest and be mama’s good little carnivore. But just who is she calling little?! Regina is big! And she has all the tools to hunt herself: a fear-inducing predator stare, a terrifying roar, and an uncanny ability to camouflage. And so Regina sets off on her first real hunt, all alone. ROAR! Along the way, she meets some truly huge dinosaurs, and hilariously, and miserably, fails at catching anything. What if she has to live her life as an . . . herbivore?! Little kids everywhere will recognize themselves in Andrea Zuill’s intrepid young dino – eager for independence, but still very much needing the safety and comfort of home.
T. Rexes Can’t Tie Their Shoes
By Anna Lazowski
Illustrated by Steph Laberis
40 Pages | Ages 3-6 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780593181386 | Doubleday BFYR
Bees can’t ride bicycles, penguins can’t play ping-pong, and zebras can’t go zip-lining. No one is good at everything, but that shouldn’t stop you from trying! Here is a funny and encouraging picture book for any child learning how to tie their shoes, ride a bike, spell their name, or do a variety of new things. Follow a hilarious alphabet of animals, and see all the things they can’t do but kids can – from doing gymnastics to flipping pancakes to playing a xylophone. Along the way, young readers will learn that it’s okay if they can’t do everything; they can still have a LOT of fun trying.
Theo TheSaurus: The Dinosaur Who Loved Big Words
By Shelli R. Johannes
Illustrated by Mike Moran
32 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9780593205518 | Philomel BFYR
Theo TheSaurus is a little dino who loves words – the bigger the better! And he’s determined to share that love with his new classmates in his new school, no matter that they don’t understand him at first. But when a trip to the athenaeum (also known as the library) becomes a visit to the auditorium instead, and a suggestion to play conceal-and-search (or hide-and-seek) only earns him looks of confusion, Theo realizes that misinterpretations can actually just be plain confusing! It’s only when his newfound friends find a way to show they care that Theo learns that sometimes, there are things more important than words. In this sweet and funny book filled with bright art, a brand-new dino character, and a full glossary of big words at the end, readers have tons of fun – and learn some new words along the way! It’s Fancy Nancy for the dino-loving set!
Tyrone O’Saurus Dreams
By James Howe
Illustrated by Randy Cecil
32 Pages | Ages 4-8 | Hardcover
ISBN 9781536210873 | Candlewick
Tyrone has a dream. But it seems like everyone else has their own dream for Tyrone. Should he be a dentist? A lawyer? A football player like his brother Johnny? None of these things make Tyrone happy. But then he meets the strongest dinosaur he’s ever seen, who inspires him to follow his own heart and become a dancer – like her. The creators of Brontorina reunite for a captivating companion story about a young dinosaur who, with a little love and encouragement, finds the courage to dance his way into his dreams.
