Wednesday 4 August 2021

Dinosaur Dads

Dinosaur Dads by Lesley Gibbes, illustrated by Marjorie Crosby-Fairall (Scholastic Australia) HB RRP $17.99 ISBN 9781760663506

Reviewed by Dianne Bates

Kids love dinosaurs and they are sure to love this action-packed picture book which starts with kid dinosaurs being bored. However, that doesn’t last long because, while mums and grandmas are out hunting, their dads appear, with ‘an earth-shaking stomp’ ready for some fun. The three kids squeal and laugh as they pursue their dads in ‘the biggest ever dinosaur race.’ Over fallen logs, past volcanoes and through forest fogs the racers continue to the dinosaur swamp where they all get very muddy, especially when they have a giant mud fight. Then it’s off to a stream where ‘the water is tingly and tickly and swirly, it’s splishy and splashy and gushy and whirly.’ When the hijinks are finished, and the dads fall asleep, the kids are once again bored. But that’s when their mums return from hunting, and more fun and adventure beckons.

This is a text which is just made for reading aloud for it is full of rhythm and rhyme and lots of action verbs which are shown in bold typeface. The illustrations are right on target -- full of fun, bright colour, and lots of movement. On the fly pages are bright coloured dinosaur pawprints, big ones for the adults, small ones for the children. One can see this book being read repeatedly. It’s highly recommended for readers aged 4+ years.

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