Dinosaur Dinosaur

by Kevin Lewis, Dan Kirk (Illustrator)

From the best-selling team that created CHUGGA-CHUGGA CHOO-CHOO comes a silly, read-aloud picture book based on a classic jump-rope rhyme.

Dinosaur, dinosaur,
run outside and play.
Busy-whizzy dinosaur,
all the livelong day!

Stomping, jumping, bouncing, and pouncing . . . when you're a little dinosaur, there's so much to do before the sun goes down and it is time for bed.

Genres: Dinosaurs, Picture Books, Childrens, Storytime, Animals, Fiction, Family

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 1, 2006

About the author

Kevin Lewis is the author of many children’s picture books for toddler and early elementary grades including the classics Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo and My Truck is Stuck (both illustrated by Daniel Kirk), Halloween favorite The Runaway Pumpkin, Lot at the End of My Block, Dinosaur Dinosaur, Tugga-Tugga Tugboat, and Not Inside This House.

Kevin grew up on his grandparents’ farm in Rembert, South Carolina. Around the third grade, he fell in love with books, and by middle school, Kevin was a bit of a reading recluse. Books carried him through high school and Erskine College, where he studied English. A children’s literature course he thought would be an easy three credits ignited his passion for children’s books, a passion that led him to New York City and his first publishing-related job at the legendary bookstore, Books of Wonder.

For over two decades, Kevin has been one of the most highly regarded children’s book editors in the industry. At Scholastic Inc., he worked with Dav Pilkey on the original Captain Underpants. At Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, where he served as an Editorial Director, Kevin worked with a veritable who’s who of authors and illustrators including Laurie Halse Anderson (Fever 1793, Chains), Spike and Tonya Lee (Please Baby Please), Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black (The Spiderwick Chronicles), Derek Anderson and Lauren Thompson (Little Quack), Alex Sanchez (Rainbow Boys), Jim Benton (Franny K. Stein) Angela Johnson, Kadir Nelson, Cynthia Rylant, and Loren Long. As an Executive Editor at Disney Press, Kevin developed and produced the Vampirina Ballerina series and edited books by Matthew Cordell, Barney Saltzberg, and Chris Barton.

In 2018, Kevin became an agent for the Erin Murphy Literary Agency, primarily focusing on writer-illustrators and diverse voices.

These days, Kevin lives in Newburgh, New York in a two hundred year old farmhouse with his husband, Phil and dog named Kat. Most of the time, you’ll find him gardening in the yard, biking around the Hudson Valley, or sitting on the back porch (which often doubles as his office).

Reviews

[Sara Parry · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book told the story of what Dinosaur did all day. The story is told through rhymes and it flows in a nice way throughout the entire book. However, I did not enjoy this book and did not feel that it was entertaining and could not keep my interest. The story line was weak. I was expecting something exciting to happen and it never did. The best part of this book were illustrations. I am not sure if I would purchase this book for my future classroom.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute dinosaur book for young kids at bedtime. I read it in a school setting and the kids noticed there was no dad. Still the rhyme and pace of the book made it interesting and fun. A boy child gores outside with his buddies then finishes the end of the day with a bath and bedtime. Sweet.

[Tris Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

silly, irritating rhyme scheme and meter, fun for the dinosaur-obsessed kid

[Danielle]

Not a favorite personally. However, the flow and rhyming style reminds me of some books my daughter had me read over and over and over again when she was younger. So if you have say a three year old who loves dinosaurs, this may be a hit in your house.

[Memory Kopp · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun happy rhyming book that would be great for a read aloud. It is based on a jump rope rhyme that kids chant when they jump rope. It tells the story of a young tyrannosaurus rex that goes through his fun filled action packed day. It begins with him tiredly getting out of bed and eating breakfast and getting ready. Then he heads out to play with his friends. They play all day outside jumping rope and playing soccer and running through the mud. Then his mother comes to bring him home and he doesn’t go without a fight. First he tries to hide then he whines as she walks him home. Once home, he eats dinner, takes his bath, gets a bedtime story read to him and goes to sleep. He goes right to sleep from his long hard day of play. This is a fun easy read with a happy ending which kids will love. Little boys especially will connect with this story since it probably describes most of their days. The fun bright colored pencil illustrations help bring another element of fun to the story. From the mother with her polka dot dress, to their cat with fangs, to the young dinosaur and his friends hiding in the bushes so they don’t have to stop playing. Seeing the little boy with his dirty shirt and muddy shoes is just what you would envision a young boy playing with his friends to look like. This could be a fun lesson for first graders learning about dinosaurs. You could have them point out how these dinosaurs differ from real ones. You could also have them come up with their own jump rope rhymes and see how big their imaginations can get.

[Christina Hyde · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was great for my preschoolers as they are learning about dinosaurs in their school curriculum. This book features dinosaurs living in the "real world" or America to be more specific, dressing as humans, and having all sorts of mishaps. The entire book rhymes and has a jump rope chant like feel to it.

The illustrations are very detailed and allow the dinosaurs to have very vivid human expressions. The attention to detail is astounding from the cereal box of "Din-O's" to the family cat with saber tooth fangs. No details were spared and it creates a rich, colorful setting for the story to take place in.

The carefree, child like attitude of the book is obvious from the first page. The colors are bright and vivid, the rhymes are easy, and children will love it. This is a great book for younger children to teach about manners and obeying parents, I think they'd really enjoy it.

[Jessica RiffeKincaid · Rating 5 out of 5]

This kids book kept the inrest of both my 4 yr old daughter and my 6 yr old son. The rhyming was funny and cute. I think in a way my son was able to connect with the young little T-Rex that was the main character of this story. It was a fast and easy read, with a happy ending, bringing a smile to both my face and the faces of my children.

[Rebecca Snodgrass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute book for little kids. I might read this to my K class instead of the book I picked out. It's repetitive so kids can follow along and you can incorporate movement by acting like a dinosaur ! There are also a lot of questions you can ask about the baby dinosaur and what you notice about him. I think it's so cute!!!!

[Margaret Samuels · Rating 5 out of 5]

G 5yrs: "At the first part it was great. Dinosaurs could wake up, but if you wake up a real dinosaur they will GET YOU! His shoe was a great hider because the shoe is hiding. Maybe real dinosaurs eat some things, like everything, but not spaghetti. He gots a saber tooth tiger as a pet and he's always picking up on him. I liked the last part because it was funny."

[Beck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mixed feelings. Probably fun sounding aloud, but the meaning isn't great. Love some things about the illustrations--like the cat and the newspaper--but then everybody looks too alike or something (within a species).
Why jump rope?

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 3 out of 5]

Doesn't seem good as his other books, such as Honk Honk Beep Beep. Lots of lovely action words, a selection of rhymes, but sometimes he just drops out of the rhyming for no apparent reason. Might be better for 3-4 year olds than for my nearly-6 son, and probably more for the dinosaur-mad crowd.

[M.L. Desir · Rating 5 out of 5]

My middle son loves this adorable picture book about an anthropomorphic dinosaur's day from morning until bedtime. And I don't mind reading it again and again. Seriously, he's asked for it every night since the beginning of the new year. Ha! :)

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rhyming text tells the adventures of a little T Rex as he goes about his day. A little on the long side for toddlers, just clip a few pages together and you'll be good to go. Not fantastic, but dinosaur obsessed kids will love it!

[Skylar Burris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute. Nice rhythm. Not a chore to read repeatedly. Night-time themed - good for putting to bed. No moral. Limited storyline.

[Annie]

rhyming story about a getting ready for tthe day - the day and going to bed

[Josh Brown · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fun, and I like the way it rhymes.

[Katie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read at Pajama Story Time on 6/5/13: http://storytimesecrets.blogspot.com/...

[Garrett Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good rhyming book that would be good for introducing poetry/rhyme, the dinosaur theme would also keep students engaged!

[The Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little boy had two favorite things: trains and dinosaurs. He draws a picture of them together that comes to life.

Very fun illustrations.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is a hit every time I use it for storytime. Great illustrations, pleasing rhymes, and a lovely, tender ending. The kids enjoy it and so do I.