Tag

Dinosaurs

Dinosaur Party
by Fiona Munro & Rachael McLean

This sparkly board book from Pat-a-Cake is perfect for helping toddlers develop fine motor skills, especially those who love dinosaurs!

Panda and Penguin are off on an adventure. They need to get to Dinosaur Town in time for a party but they have a long way to go. They huff and puff their way up a steep hill and over a spiky track – but when they get to the top they discover a great big grinning dinosaur face. It turns out they haven’t been climbing a hill at all, instead they have scaled the back of a giant dinosaur! Fortunately he’s very friendly – perhaps he will offer them a lift to the party on his back?

Continue Reading…

Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug by Jonathan Stutzman & Jay Fleck

Tiny T. Rex has a big heart but he has very small arms. This isn’t usually a problem, until one day Tiny sees that his friend Pointy is feeling sad and needs some cheering up. Tiny knows that the best thing to do is to give his friend a great big hug, but his teensy little arms won’t let him!

Determined to find a solution to his hugging problem, Tiny turns to his family for advice. Each of them offers up some wisdom, but nothing seems quite right until he speaks to his brother and sister. They tell him that if he wants to do something which everyone believes is impossible then he needs a plan and he needs to practise, practise, practise. Tiny takes their advice and we’re treated to a wonderful montage of him getting fit and attempting to hug all manner of objects (including a flower, an ice cream and cactus!).

Continue Reading…

Let’s Find The Dinosaur by Alex Willmore

These days Ivy takes great care with her books, particularly the interactive ones, but when she was tiny she took great pleasure in pulling off the flaps and chewing on them. That’s why I think the new generation of chunky board books with felt flaps are a bit of a revelation!  This one is particularly charming and features lots of super cute dinosaurs for your little ones to find.

The aim is to follow the clues, peep through the cut out sections and lift the textured felt flaps to locate the T-Rex. Along the way we meet a whole host of other dinosaur characters who share some of the T-Rex’s features. The sharp teeth poking out from behind the volcano actually belong to a Pterodactyl. The scaly head hidden behind a bush looks promising but turns out to be a Triceratops. And the swishy tail behind the trees? That’s just a Diplodocus. Where could that cheeky T-Rex be?

Continue Reading…

Bumpus Jumpus Dinosaurumpus By Tony Mitton & Guy Parker-Rees

Bumpus Jumpus DinosaurumpusIf you have a child who rejects story time because they don’t like to sit still then Bumpus Jumpus Dinosaurumpus might be the book that you’re looking for. The infectious rhyme encourages your child to dance around and I defy anyone to read this aloud without wiggling a little themselves!

The story introduces you to a whole host of dinosaurs as they take part in a Dinosaurumpus – a noisy, bouncy and frankly bonkers celebration of who they are. They twizzle, spin, bomp and stomp together until they hear a giant roar. What on earth is making that scary noise and will it want to eat them up or just join in the fun?

We’ve read this one so many times that Ivy joins in with the ‘chorus’ and bangs the sofa like a drum in time with they way I read the rhyme. We started off just reciting it but these days it’s more like (extremely amateur!) performance art as I rap the lyrics (badly) and she bounces up and down and squeals with delight. It’s definitely not a bedtime book in our house!

Continue Reading…

Dinosaurs Love Underpants By Claire Freedman & Ben Cort

Dinosaurs Love UnderpantsLike most toddlers, Ivy loves dinosaurs so as you can imagine we have quite a few dinosaur-themed books. This is one of her favourites and it never fails to make her laugh.

The story is about how the dinosaurs became extinct, and if you think they were wiped out by an asteroid or another mass extinction event then you are sadly mistaken. It’s all because of UNDERPANTS!

The clever little cavemen invented underpants to cover up their rude bits because they felt a little bit embarrassed when they were nude. As soon as the dinosaurs see them they are besotted with pants and they all want some, but they just don’t fit right which makes the dinos all grouchy. Soon a massive pants war is raging as they each try to get their claws on the best pairs. 

Continue Reading…

Tyrannosaurus Drip By Julia Donaldson & David Roberts

Tyrannosaurus DripTyrannosaurus Drip by Julia Donaldson & David Roberts is one of our favourite dinosaur books. It tells the story of a gentle little duckbill dinosaur who accidentally ends up hatching in a Tyrannosaurus nest. He tries his hardest to fit in with the family he believes to be his but he is just too different. His sisters are big and strong with sharp teeth and a love of hunting whereas poor little Drip is gentle and kind and just wants to eat some veg.

When his family start to pick on him for being different he decides to run away and he finds himself swimming with some Duckbill Dinosaurs in the river, unaware that they are his real family. Drip finally feels like he belongs and plays happily with his new friends. When he spots his reflection he is shocked to discover that he was never a Tyrannosaurus at all!

But then a storm comes and knocks over a tree, giving the nasty T-Rex family direct access to the Duckbill’s home. Quick-thinking Drip comes up with a plan but will it be enough to save his new family?

Continue Reading…

Does Your Child Love Dinosaurs? Enter Our Competition!

Enter NowWhat is it with little ones and dinosaurs? Ivy is in the grips of dino fever so we thought we would run a little dinosaur-themed competition for you.

Our prize bundle contains 5 picture books, a cuddly dinosaur, a colouring book and some crayons and it’s worth over £40!

We have 2 prize bundles – one for Facebook followers and one for Instagram followers.

Click here to enter on Facebook

Click here to enter on Instagram

Contest is open internationally and will run for 2 weeks. The winner will be selected at random at 8.30pm GMT on Wednesday, June 6th 2018

The prize includes:

* Silly Dizzy Dinosaur by Jack Tickle
* Ten Little Dinosaurs by Mike Brownlow & Simon Rickerty
* Dinosaurs Love Underpants by Clare Freedman & Ben Cort
* The Dinosaur That Pooped A Planet! by Tom Fletcher, Dougie Poynter & Garry Parsons
* If I Had A Dinosaur by Alex Barrow & Gabby Dawnay
* My First Dinosaur Colouring Book from Bloomsbury
* Set of Dinosaur Mini Crayons
* A Cuddly Dinosaur from Best Years

GOOD LUCK!

Never Ask A Dinosaur To Dinner By Gareth Edwards & Guy Parker-Rees

Never Ask A Dinosaur To DinnerThis funny book by Gareth Edwards and Guy Parker-Rees always makes Ivy laugh. It follows a little boy as he goes through elements of his day – but he has chosen some rather crazy animal friends to help him with each task!

He eats his dinner with a dinosaur who gobbles everything up before he gets a chance to eat a single bite. He uses a tiger as a towel when he gets out of the bath – and unsurprisingly the tiger is a little cross! He even tries to use a giant bison as a blanket which proves a little uncomfortable.

Follow him as he discovers why dinosaurs, sharks, beavers, tigers, bison and owls don’t always make the best companions.

The rhyme scheme is really bouncy which makes it a lot of fun to read and it’s also a good book for discussion. A barn owl might not be the best thing to cuddle up to at night because of his sharp claws and nocturnal habits – so what might make a better bed fellow?

Buy it now: https://amzn.to/2G8vahE

If I Had A Dinosaur By Alex Barrow & Gabby Dawnay

If I Had A DinosaurIvy loves dinosaurs so I always get excited when I see a dino book we haven’t read yet.

This particular book was inspired by the discovery of the bones of  a massive Titanosaur in Argentina in 2014. It’s believed to be the largest dinosaur to have ever lived. What would he have been like as a pet?

The little girl in the story would really, really like a pet dinosaur. She imagines how much fun it would be to take him for a walk in the park or even take him to school!

She sensibly thinks of all the things the dinosaur will need – like food, a dino-flap to get in and out of her house and also somewhere to sleep. She decides that a dinosaur would definitely be the best pet she could ever have.

Cleverly though, the gorgeous illustrations tell a slightly different story. We see squashed cars, giant poops and it’s apparent that the dinosaur is far too large to fit anywhere comfortably!

A fantastic book for dinosaur lovers, but also a useful tool for explaining to your child why a particular pet might not be right for them.

Buy from Bookshop.org and support independent bookshops: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/155/9780500651506

Buy from Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/2prLFPM

Note these are affiliate links and Ivy’s Library will receive a small commission if you choose to purchase through them.

Mad About Dinosaurs By Giles Andreae & David Wojtowycz

Mad About DinosaursWe love a good dinosaur in this house so it’s no surprise that this book is a popular choice.

The bouncy rhythms and brightly coloured illustrations are perfect for toddlers who like to yell ROAR!

Every page features a mini rhyme about a different dinosaur. All of the well-known ones are in there so your child’s favourite will hopefully be featured.

Personally we like the big purple stegosaurus and the chicken-sized microraptors!

Buy it now: http://amzn.to/2FqudSf