We are really excited to share Ethan’s Dino-mite collection filled with all sorts of books on dinosaurs. We started building this collection since over a year for our dino-obsessed, soon-to-be three (rex), Little E. We have tried to include books spanning different genres for kids interested in dinos. Hope you enjoy some of his roar-some reads.
1, The One with Dino Eggs – Dinosaur Juniors – Happy Hatchday by Rob Biddulph – A sweet story from our award-winning favorite author Rob Biddulph. It is about 9 dino eggs that are ready to hatch. All eggs hatch on time except one which hatches a few days later. Greg (or Gregosaurus) comes out of the last egg and looks around for friends to play with. Unfortunately, he realizes that all his friends who hatched before him are already playing in pairs – each pair busy with an interesting activity. Greg feels very sad. Read this adorable story to find out if Greg was able to make friends after all. Ethan loved naming each type of dinosaur hatching out of the nine eggs. The Dinosaur Juniors series has two other books – Wide Awake (a bedtime story) and Give Peas a Chance (for fussy eaters) which are also fascinating reads.
2. The Ones with Trucks – Dino Diggers series by Rose Impey and Chris Chatterton – This interesting series of three books is for toddlers who love trucks and dinos. The series has three books – Dino Diggers: Crane Calamity, Dino Diggers: Digger Disaster and Dino Diggers: Dumper Truck Danger. These books are about three different adventures of a construction worker team of Dinos called Dino Diggers who are the best in their town (they never let you down). The team consists of their leader, Terridactyl (a pterodactyl) and other members including Tyrone (a T-rex) who drives a digger, Bruno (a brachiosaurus) who drives a crane. Stacey (a stegosaurus) who drives a dump truck and Ricky (a velociraptor) who is an apprentice or helper. Although they work hard at their assigned tasks, they always seem to land in some sort of trouble. Will they be able to get out of it and fix their mistakes each time? Read this wonderful series to find out. An additional element of surprise in these books is that you get to build a truck at the end of each book. The last page has cutouts of a truck that you have to put together – craft + reading = double the fun!
3. The One with a Bedtime story – Ten minutes to Bed little Dinosaur by Rhiannon Fielding – This is an adorable bedtime story for childoos obsessed with dinos. We like to read it regularly at bedtime together. This story is about Rumble, an adventurous triceratops who gets told by his mom that he just has ten minutes to bed. Rumble doesn’t want to sleep and goes on an adventure. He keeps getting warned by his mom that he has nine, eight, seven and so on minutes to bed but he goes to explore nature, collecting sticks, pine cones and other things instead. He then sees a huge volcano erupt and many dinos fleeing from it. He runs too when rain starts pouring. He is scared now and takes cover. Will Rumble find his way back home? This sweet book is an interesting read for curious kids who love exploring the world and finding something new each day.
4. The One with a Rhyme – Rumble Rumble Dinosaur by Katrina Charman and Nick Sharratt
We love it even more when you sing about dinosaurs in a tune that resonates with a nursery rhyme. This book combines the tune of Twinkle Twinkle little star throughout as it introduces us to the different types of dinosaurs. It starts with the dinosaurs waking up at sunrise – Rumble rumble dinosaurs, wake up dinos time to roar; and goes on by listing the details about each and every dinosaur type. Ethan sings and dances along the tune of this wonderful book as we recite it as his favorite rhyme.
5. The One about Art (and following your passion in life) – Dinosaurs don’t draw by Elli Woollard – This story is about a creative Triceratops, Picassaur (we love his name!) who loves to draw! One day he finds a white thing (a chalk) and starts drawing mountains, stars, clouds with it. He is so impressed with his drawing that he shows it to his mother. To his dismay, she is not happy and tells him that dinosaurs grunt, growl, stomp and chomp but they never draw! Picassaur then sees some ooze (paint) inside a cave and begins to paint dragons and leaves again. This time he shows his painting to his father. Just like his mother, he scowls too and he is upset he has made a mess. But Picassaur still wants to draw. He then finds some sticks and uses it to draw mammoths and shows it to his cousins. But instead, they ask him to play with them. As they play, they hear a loud THUD! A giant T-rex appears and everyone is terrified. Will Picassaur be able to save his family using his drawing? Will his family finally recognize his talent? This motivational story is an important lesson for kids to follow their dreams and passion in life and not care about what society thinks.
6. The One with a Dino bucket – Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs by Ian Whybrow and Adrian Reynolds – This adventure series is about a dino-obsessed little boy Harry who carries all his dinosaurs in a bucket wherever he goes. There are several titles in this series of which we have a few with us. The first book of this series is about how Harry meets his dino friends. Harry lives with his mom, sister Sam and grandma (Nan). Once while cleaning the attic with Nan, Harry is thrilled to discover a chest filled with old dinosaurs. He insists Nan to take them out for him. He cleans amd mends them and puts them all in a bucket and takes them to the library where he learns all their names and starts calling them so. From then on, he takes his dinos everywhere he goes including supermarkets, the park, bath and his bed. They are inseparable and he loves them. One day, Harry takes his dinosaurs along on a train ride with Nan. Unfortunately, he loses his dino bucket on the train. He is heartbroken and wants to get them back. Will Harry be re-united with his dino friends? Inspired by Harry, Ethan also has his own dino bucket at home which he carries everywhere including to sleep!
7. The One with ABC – Dinosaur ABC by Roger Priddy – This is such a fun way to teach young dino-loving toddlers ABC. I was amazed as Ethan literally recites this book now – A to Z in dinosaur names!! This book has 26 dinosaurs – one dinosaur for each alphabet. In addition, each page has a colorful dino picture along with a brief description about the dinosaur. For example, A is for Allosaurus and B is for Baryonyx and so on. Kids will also learn about some rare dino names such as Yingshanosaurus, Wannanosaurus etc. This is really an interesting way to teach ABC as well as dino names to kids. It is one of our favorite books that we read over and over again.
8. The One with Pirates – Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs – Missing Treasure! by Giles Andreae – This is yet another interesting book series about a boy named Flinn who loves both dinosaurs and pirates and goes on various adventures with them. We are excited to share one of the books in the series here called ‘Missing Treasure’. Flinn’s class goes on a visit to a dinosaur museum. As they are looking through the dino skeletons, they come across an empty glass case . They come to know that the glass case held the missing treasure of Captain Rumblebelly which had been stolen the previous night. Flinn and his friends follow a trail of feathers which leads them to a cold dark cupboard that suddenly opens and they all tumble into a pirate captain’s huge ship! They are surprised to find its pirate Captain Gurgleguts tied to a table crying that a pirate ship took away the treasure he had stolen from the museum. Flinn and his friends decide to help the pirate to find the treasure, provided he returns it back to the museum. Flinn becomes captain pirate and they finally locate an island which is filled with pirate Dinosaus!! There are pirate diplodocus, stegosaurus, triceratops and T-rex. Pirate T-rex ties up Gurgleguts again and when Flinn goes to save him, he encounters an even huger and scary Giganotosaurus!! Will Flinn be able to save the pirate and retrieve the lost treasure and bring it back to the museum? We love the mystery and thrill of this series which keeps Ethan very engaged.
9. The One with Hugs – Hugasaurus by Rachel Bright – What is better than a hug? A dinosaur HUG! This adorable story by one of our favorite authors is about a cute little Triceratops called Hugasaur who is very loved by her dear Pappysaur (daddy). Hugasaur is excited as today she is going to make new friends and play together. She misses her Pappysaur but is very happy to play different games together with her dino friends. Suddenly, Hugasaur notices that a big squabble has started between her friends. Eventually, they all start roaring and shouting at each other. Hugasaur feels desperate, lost and runs to a quiet corner crying and thinking about how can she bring back the sunshine and make her friends stop fighting. Just then a fuzzy platypus comes by and reminds her what her pappy would do to make her feel better? That makes Hugasaur think that nothing else is better than a Pappy HUG! Will Hugasaur be able to stop her friends from fighting and teach them the magical power of a hug? This is a really beautiful story with great illustrations teaching kids to be kind and care for one another. We have other books in this Dino Feelings series too which are also too good – Stompysaurus, Worrysaurus and Wobblysaurus.
10. The One with a Magical Adventure – The Girl and the Dinosaur by Hollie Hughes and Sarah Massini – This story is about a little girl Marianne who lives by the beach and loves dinosaurs. She often spends time on the beach alone digging for dino fossils in the sand. The village folk worry she wouldn’t make any friends. One day, she puts together all the bones together to form a huge dinosaur skeleton. She bids goodbye to the skeleton on the beach at night secretly wishing for some magic that would bring her dinosaur to life! As she dreams in her sleep, her dream manifests and the dinosaur on the beach comes alive! It knocks at her window. She is thrilled to see her dino friend and they go on a magical adventure at night. It is a truly magical story with stunning illustrations and fantasy that all the kids would love.
11. The One about Dinosaur Facts – Stomp, DInosaur, Stomp by Margaret Mayo and Alex Ayliffe
This is a colorful introductory book about dinosaurs with big pictures that one can use to learn the names of dinosaurs. This was one of the first books that Ethan started off with when he got interested in dinosaurs. It’s simple language and rhyming words keeps kids engaged as they learn more interesting facts about each dinosaur. It talks about each dinosaur’s size, feeding habits and what it is known for. A wonderful book for kids to peruse by themselves too.
12. The One with Hidden Dinosaurs – Can you find…1001 Dinosaurs and other things? by Igloo books
All kids love hunting for hidden treasures! What is more fun? Hunting for hidden dinosaurs! This awesome book is filled with dinosaurs and each page has a multitude of dinosaurs and other things you need to find. Each page has a different theme or setting. For example, one setting is the cafe where you see different dinosaurs serving or eating food. There is a list of things or dinosaurs below each picture that you need to find on the page. Ethan keeps himself so busy and he is engrossed in the book as he looks for different dinosaurs and things. His favorite dinosaur is the one wearing a diaper. Hope you enjoy this fun book.
13. The One with Big Dino Pictures – The Big Book of Dinosaurs Discover the Biggest, Fastest, and Fiercest Dinosaurs (DK Big Books) by DK Publishing – This is a very interesting fact book on different types of dinosaurs with huge attractive pictures, We have an older edition of this book. This big book covers everything about dinos ranging from types of dinosaurs (beaky, feathered, duck-billed, armored, plated, marine), how a dinosaur grows, fossils (dinosaur clues), comparison between the biggest vs smallest dinos, food habits and so on. This is one book that has almost all important dino facts. The beautiful illustrations with the detailed description makes it even better. Ethan also loves to skim it on his own to look at all the dino pictures. We highly recommend this book for dino lovers.
14, The One with Mixed-up Dinos – Flip Flap Dinosaurs by Axel Scheffler – This is a really fun book with amazing illustrations that kids can flip and flap to make different dinosaur combinations. Each page has a big dino picture cut in the middle such that the upper body of one dinosaur can be matched with the lower body of another. For example, a t-rex crossed with diplodocus would become Tyranno-docus. Ethan finds this book really funny and loves to create and name new dinosaurs using every possible mix. In addition to the flip flap fun, you can also read a brief description about each dinosaur on the left. This is such a wonderful book teaching dino facts as well as engaging kids in creating a crazy dino-combo they love!
15. The One with Space – The Dinosaur that Pooped a Planet by Dougie Poynter and Tom Fletcher – We had to add in a funny dinosaur story to this list! Dan and his best friend, a T-rex are bored at home and are looking for something to do. They think of different games to play but eventually decide to visit the space museum together. Before they go, mummy reminds them to take their packed lunch along as they will be hungry soon. They reach the museum and decide to get into a huge spacecraft. They don’t pay heed to the instructions and start pressing all the switches and buttons due to which the spacecraft takes off into space. It is only then that Dan realizes that they forgot their lunchboxes at home. As they float in the spacecraft, T-rex’s tummy starts grumbling and he becomes really hungry. Not finding his lunchbox makes him eat everything inside the spacecraft include computers, keyboards etc. He eventually chews up the entire spacecraft followed by the moon, planets and everything else in sight. Dan is so scared and starts crying that he wants to go home. T-rex feels sad but he bloats and keeps becoming huge as he keeps on eating. What will happen next? Will T-rex be able to help Dan in any way so that they can go home? This is a hilarious story for kids who love space. There are many other books in this series which are equally funny and interesting reads.
ADDITIONAL DINOS WE ARE VERY FOND OF!
The One about Friendship and Sharing – Roo the Roaring Dinosaur by David Bedford and Mandy Stanley – Roo is a dinosaur who lives on an island and loves to play with his Moomie (his dearest security blanket). He loves his moomie with all his heart. But one day he sees a hot air balloon descending down from the sky and inside it is a huge mammoth. Roo is afraid at first but then he realizes that the mammoth is friendly. As they become acquainted with each other, Roo takes his mammoth friend to all the places he likes to play and they have a lot of fun. But soon he realizes that the mammoth cannot return home as his hot air balloon is torn. Mammoth is very sad. The only thing that can mend his hot air balloon is Roo’s moomie. Will Roo share his dearest moomie with his friend to fix his hot-air balloon? This beautiful story teaches us the value of sharing, sacrifice and friendship and is a must read. Sometimes, doing a good deed and expecting nothing in return has a lot to offer.
The One with Christmas – Dinosaur Christmas by Jerry Pallotta – Want to get your childoo excited for Christmas? This Dino Christmas book is for you! It begins as a little girl writes a letter to Santa asking who rode his sleigh before reindeers? Santa answers that before reindeers, Dinos rode his sleigh. He shares his adventure as he tries each type of dinosaur for his sleigh. He says that it was a difference experience with each of them. For example, Maiasuras, although well-behaved, ate all of his presents and Santa had to complain to their mom. Which dinosaur did Santa love the most to ride his sleigh? Read this bright and merry book to find out. Ethan loves dinos and Santa, so he is always thrilled to read it before Christmas each year. We found this storyline to be quite unique. It is a must-have for the holiday season.
The One for Potty Training – Pottysaurus by Brooke Vitale – Potty training has been a rocky journey for us but this book was a great help in taking a step towards it at the beginning. The story is about an adorable Stegosaurus who is learning to use his new potty. He tries and tries but doesn’t give up and has full support from his mommy. He realizes that its okay to have a few accidents as he is learning to use his potty. Will the Stegosaurus finally succeed in using the potty? Since dinosaurs are E’s favorites, this book was a blessing to get him motivated to use his potty too. We still aren’t potty trained; we are halfway there and hope to succeed just like Pottysaurus one day!
If you enjoyed Ethan’s favourites you might want to check out his previous bingo listicle here.
ADDED BY ASHA: Should you be looking for even more books for your little Dino, please head here!
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