The Great Dinosaur Sleepover (Linda Bailey)

 

6, no 7 dinosaurs show up in the middle of the night to have a birthday party with Jake. (did the author do that 6-7 bit on purpose?)

What's sadder than a cancelled birthday party? And what would be more exciting than playing with actual dinosaurs? Kids will love this book.

This author is Canadian! She is from Winnipeg. I love finding Canadian authors.

Re-read January 9, 2026 Another lesson in why reading with kids is better. I hadn't noticed the t-rex lurking in the background until reading it with them. So cute! 

Goodreads says:

A young boy's disappointing birthday party gets turned upside down with a blast from the prehistoric past in this hilarious, dino-mite picture book adventure.

Jake loves dinosaurs, so with his birthday coming up, he knows just what kind of party he wants — a dinosaur sleepover! Dino games, dino balloons, dino cake. Dino everything! But when the big day arrives, his friends all come down with the flu, and the party seems to be on the edge of extinction.

Then, in the middle of the night, Jake hears a strange noise and goes to investigate. To his surprise, he finds some prehistoric party guests right there in his living room! They've invited themselves in to make sure Jake has a birthday he'll never forget —just don't tell the T-Rex!

An unforgettable birthday tale with huge laughs and heart, this newest picture book from acclaimed author Linda Bailey celebrates friendship, inclusion and fun – and is brought to life with magnificent, cinematic artwork from award-winning animation director and illustrator Joe Bluhm.

Born To Be Giants (Lita Judge)

 

This book is packed full of information about dinosaurs and animals today that they could be compred to. The illustrations perfectly show them as darling babies and fierce adults. 

Goodreads says:

TOO TINY TO BE TERRIFYING. The fascinating world of baby dinosaurs―in amazing pictures! What did a dinosaur look like sitting on its eggs? What kind of parent was a Tyrannosaurus rex? How could an Argentinosaurus, who probably hatched from an egg no bigger than 18 inches long, grow up to weigh more than 17 elephants? It's a sure bet that kids―always fascinated by dinosaurs―have wondered about these questions.BORN TO BE GIANTS, with its glossary of dinosaurs, easy-to-
understand text, and full-color illustrations, shows little readers how baby dinosaurs grew up to be GIANTS.

Dinosaur Valentine (Donnelly)

 

I'm amazed at how kids will get mesmerized by a story....no matter how lame. This one did the trick on Valentine's Day.

Goodreads says:

It's Valentine's Day.
Rex and his trusty dog, Bones, are in the park when they receive an invitation to a party they will never forget. It's a Valentine's Day party - and it's being given by dinosaurs!

We Will Rock Our Classmates (Ryan T Higgins)

 

More surprises from Penelope! Great story for contrasts and contradictions! There are plenty of surprises along the way:

• Feeling different than everyone else (everyone ALWAYS wants Penelope to be a dinosaur when they play....she never gets to pretend she's something else)
• When they're playing dentists they scold Penelope for not flossing AND they find someone's backpack stuck in her teeth
• Is nervous about performing (you would think a bring strong dinosaur would never feel nervous!)
• Daddy Rex teaches Penelope about great things people in her family have accomplished and this helps buoy her up

Goodreads says:

Readers will twist and shout for this headbanging companion to the #1 New York Times best-selling We Don't Eat Our Classmates.

Penelope is a T. rex, and she's very good at it. She also likes to rock out on guitar! With the school talent show coming up, Penelope can't wait to perform for her classmates. But sharing who you are can be show-stoppingly scary, especially when it's not what people expect. Will Penelope get by with a little help from her friends?

Dragons in a Bag (Zetta Elliot)

 

This is a 2021 Global Read Aloud pick. I'm hoping that this year I can actually connect with another class as we use it for a read aloud. It's a great story! One thing that concerns me is that they only read a couple chapters a week. I'm not sure we can drag it out that long! I'd definitely be interested in reading the next books in the series.

There are lots of topics that could be discussed in this story: diversity, forgiveness, racism, segregation, forgiveness,  etc.  

In time we could use this as a "book club" book paired with Jeremy Thatcher Dragon Hatcher.

Read aloud to my class in October/November2021. It is way better as a read aloud! Then again, most books are.

Notice and Note Signposts

Words of the Wiser

• p. 116 Trub to Jax re: segregation
• p. 128...if you believe

Memory Moment

Contrasts and Contradictions

• p. 8 beer
• p. 10 box with no addresses
• p. 48 Ambrose invisible? 

Again and Again

Ah ha moments

Tough Qs

Goodreads says:

The dragon's out of the bag in this diverse, young urban fantasy from an award-winning author!

When Jaxon is sent to spend the day with a mean old lady his mother calls Ma, he finds out she's not his grandmother--but she is a witch! She needs his help delivering baby dragons to a magical world where they'll be safe. There are two rules when it comes to the dragons: don't let them out of the bag, and don't feed them anything sweet. Before he knows it, Jax and his friends Vikram and Kavita have broken both rules! Will Jax get the baby dragons delivered safe and sound? Or will they be lost in Brooklyn forever?

Dinosaur Bob And His Adventure With the Family Lazardo (William Joyce)

October 12, 2018: After we read this book, one of my students had put on his Special Student poster that the pet he would most like to have is a whale! It was totally plausible to everyone because we knew of Dinosaur Bob.

Re-read Feb 10, 2020: My class LOVED this story. It is a great example of use of imagination and entertaining. Who wouldn't want a dinosaur for a pet?!

Goodreads comments:
" it’s a charming little tale totally for young readers out there who want to travel to exotic places, love baseball, and wishfully dream of a dinosaur for a pet."
 - Apokripos

 I like this story because it is different from most children's stories because there is not a moral at the end of the story, it is a story for the sake of a story. No grand lesson to be learned. I think this book would be wonderful in the elementary grades. It could be included in a unit on love, the love the Lazardo family has for Bob and the fact that they are ready to walk away from their home rather than be separated from him. 
- Melissa



Goodreads says:
Proclaimed "the most adorable of dinos" by The New York Times, Bob is grander and greener than ever in a definitive new edition of modern picture book classic. This deluxe volume features seven new illustrations, an additional adventure, and a song ("The Ballad of Dinosaur Bob"), with easy-to-play arrangements.

We Don't Eat Our Classmates (Ryan T Higgins)

*Contrasts and contradictions: We don’t expect a dinosaur to be in school! We also don’t expect a teacher to let her stay when she has a problem with EATING classmates!!
*What might the author be trying to teach us?

•  everyone has their own challenges
• We need to watch for people who are left out and help them
• Dinosaur learned what it was like when he got bit (empathy)
• Everyone has expectations about school. What are some things we expect about school? What if someone expects something totally different than you?
• We should never never ever eat our classmates! LOL

Goodreads says:

Penelope the dinosaur starts school, but it’s hard to make friends when her classmates are so delicious!

It’s the first day of school for Penelope Rex, and she can’t wait to meet her classmates. But it’s hard to make human friends when they’re so darn delicious! That is, until Penelope gets a taste of her own medicine and finds she may not be at the top of the food chain after all. . . . Readers will gobble up this hilarious new story from award-winning author-illustrator Ryan T. Higgins.
--books.disney.com 

Science Comics: Dinosaurs (MK Reed)

This is a definitely classroom-keeper! I loved how it explained the history and ever evolving understanding of dinosaurs. There has been a lot of competition in the search for understanding about dinosaurs. The author shows how understanding has evolved and where we're at now. The illustrations are simply terrific. In my true style of reading graphic novels, I often had to remind myself to slow down and look at the illustrations and graphs as it is packed full of information. I don't have a good memory for all these facts, but I know a bunch of kids who'd totally absorb all this information and simply love it.


Earlier this month I read Coral Reefs from the same series. I will definitely watch for more of these books.




Goodreads summary:


Every volume of Science Comics offers a complete introduction to a particular topic--dinosaurs, coral reefs, the solar system, volcanoes, bats, flying machines, and more. These gorgeously illustrated graphic novels offer wildly entertaining views of their subjects. Whether you're a fourth grader doing a natural science unit at school or a thirty-year-old with a secret passion for airplanes, these books are for you!

This volume: in Dinosaurs, learn all about the history of paleontology! This fascinating look at dinosaur science covers the last 150 years of dinosaur hunting, and illuminates how our ideas about dinosaurs have changed--and continue to change.  

Jacob Two-Two and the Dinosaur (Mordecai Richler)

I decided that during DEAR time I will always read a book from our library corner so that I can book-talk it with the kids in my class. This week it was Jacob Two-Two. Many years ago I went to a play at Olympic Plaza that was Jacob Two-Two and the Dinosaur. It was quite true to the book! I was a little bothered at the way Jacob is treated in the beginning of the book. He is teased by everyone in his family. It seems a little over the top. Maybe I'm just too sensitive. Mordecai Richler definitely has a similar feel to his books as Roald Dahl: adults are mean and quite unnecessary and kids have to make it on their own. There's also lots of great humor that kids in Gr 3 will really crack up over - like the dinosaur causing huge wind storms because of gas he gets after eating his favorite food: Pizza! There's some great elaborative detail in chapter 4 when Dippy is introduced! I will make a note of this for when I'm teaching elaborative detail. One of the really fun things about this book is that it is set in Canada. They go to Banff and mention other places near us. The back page also notes that the children in the story have the same names as Mordecai Richler's children. I think this would be a great book to read aloud. Goodreads summary: When his parents return from Kenya with a cute little green lizard on his eighth birthday (he’s two times two times two), Jacob Two-Two is thrilled. But it isn’t long before Jacob realizes that his new pet Dippy isn’t a lizard after all. And as months pass, it is apparent Dippy isn’t so little either. Soon Dippy is attracting all sorts of unwanted attention and before he knows it, Jacob is on the run from the Canadian government with a full-grown dinosaur to hide.

Art and Max (David Wiesner)

Super cute story! We loved the mess made! A good story about diving in and just giving something a shot, even if you don't feel like you're an expert.

Goodreads summary:

Max and Arthur are friends who share an interest in painting. Arthur is an accomplished painter; Max is a beginner. Max’s first attempt at using a paintbrush sends the two friends on a whirlwind trip through various artistic media, which turn out to have unexpected pitfalls. Although Max is inexperienced, he’s courageous—and a quick learner. His energy and enthusiasm bring the adventure to its triumphant conclusion. Beginners everywhere will take heart. 

Mad Scientist Academy - The Dinosaur Disaster

This will be perfect for my future palentologists. One student was just mentioning yesterday that he plans to become one! I probably won't use this one as a read aloud. It will be a good addition to our library corner, nonetheless.

Will definitely look for more book by this author though. We are CRAZY about graphic novels in our classroom.

Goodreads summary: 

Enroll in Dr. Cosmic’s class of clever monsters at the Mad Scientist Academy as they solve the greatest challenges in science, in this perfect blend of adventure and exploration—it’s the Magic School Bus for a new generation.
 
Welcome to Mad Scientist Academy! The first day of school is always exciting, and Dr. Cosmic’s new students can’t wait to get started. After their teacher reveals that their school pet, Oscar, is a dinosaur, they quickly realize Dr. Cosmic has an unusual teaching style. To find Oscar, the class has to follow the clues through the realistic dinosaur exhibit Dr. Cosmic designed and built over the summer. But when a malfunction causes the robotic dinosaurs to come alive, this prehistoric exhibit feels a little too real!
 
With a mad genius for a teacher, things don’t always go as planned. Armed with high-tech handbooks and the scientific method, Dr. Cosmic’s class is ready to solve their way out of any disaster. 

Dinosaur vs School (Bob Shea)

Cute story, but too young for my Gr. 3 crowd.

Goodreads Summary:

Dinosaur is starting preschool today. ROAR! There are new friends to meet, dress-up outfits to wear, glitter and googly eyes to paste, musical instruments to play, and snacks to eat. What's not to like? But then, oh, no! It's Dinosaur vs. Clean-up Time! Fortunately, when friends work together, EVERYONE WINS! With all the bright colors, bold lines, and toddler-like exuberance that have made the previous Dinosaur vs. books irresistible, DINOSAUR VS. SCHOOL will both amuse and reassure anyone going off to school for the first time.

Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads (Bob Shea)

I have been trying to model good reading for my students. I ask them about how they like the silly voices I use and I encourage them to use the same books when they're reading with their grade 1 reading buddies. Kids Sherriff and the Terrible Toad is a great one because a cowboy accent is just so darn fun!


Update: January  15, 2020: We loved the turtle. The simplicity of the language made it hilarious to see the sheriff riding in on a turtle.

We actually had to read it twice to see if we missed something because my students didn't totally get the trick the sheriff played on the Toad family.

Drywater Gulch has a toad problem. Not the hop-down-your-britches, croaking-all-night toad kind of problem. The thievin', hootin' and hollerin', steal-your-gold never-say-thank-you outlaw toad kind of problem. Then hope rides into town. Sheriff Ryan might only be seven years old, and he might not know much about shooting and roping. But he knows a lot about dinosaurs. Yes, dinosaurs. And it turns out that knowing a thing or two about paleontology can come in handy when it comes to hoodwinking and rounding up a few no-good bandits. From Bob Shea and Lane Smith comes this hilarious picture book, Kid Sheriff and the Terrible Toads. 

Not everyone caught on to the trick that Sheriff Ryan uses to put those terrible Toads in jail where they belong. As one who did get it explained it was fun to see everyone's eyes light up and laugh. Their favorite part was how Sheriff Ryan rides a tortoise...he rides off into the sunset for days. :)

Great story!