Harry and the Dinosaurs Say "Raahh!"

Harry and the Dinosaurs

by Ian Whybrow

Harry and his beloved dinosaurs have a dental appointment and they are all very nervous—especially Tyrannosaurus, who has so many teeth. But with Harry’s reassurances and a magic button to make him grow big, Tyrannosaurus agrees to let Dr. Drake take a look. Funny, accessible illustrations and a gentle text help alleviate the fear of this very typical life-lesson.

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published September 27, 2001

About the author

Ian Whybrow is a British writer of children's books, first published in 1989. He has written over 100 books for children, has been translated into 27 languages and is published in 28 countries. His books are humorous and range from picture books to novels, short stories and poetry.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun visit to the dentist who is put in his place by an enlarged TRex . What more could you want for a fun day.

[Sau Tsui · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is based on a child named Harry who has dinosaurs in a bucket. It begins with his mum ready to leave the house to take Harry to the dentist although Harry is taking his time in getting ready as it becomes clear that he is avoiding to go to the dentist.
Within the first few pages, the pictures are on a two-page spread indicating that we as the readers are following Harry and his dinosaurs on the journey to the dentist. Harry is portrayed as the powerful one at the beginning by showing as a more significant figure than his mother which shows that he holds the cards. His sister Sam tries to scare him by telling him she got a filling although Harry does not seem to have affected her attempt at scaring Harry before he goes to the dentist. Harry uses his dinosaurs as a source of comfort for going to the dentist although throughout the book Harry is one reassuring his dinosaurs as they make their way to the dentist. Throughout the book, Harry indicates that he is moving forward without looking back on his journey to the dentist through the day as he is facing the right. Towards the end of the book, one of his dinosaurs look back at Harry for reassurance when he is experiencing what it is like to be in the dentist chair.
Overall it was a lovely book that can be discussed and interact with adults and other children about their experiences to the dentist.

[Jasmine's · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harry scares the dentist with his Trex at his appointment!!

[Gustavus Cliffe · Rating 3 out of 5]

I asked my four year old and he says that he did not like this book. I didn't find it anything particularly special. My son is not currently passionate about dinosaurs though, nor is he particularly afraid of the dentist {he chose on his own to go to the dentist when a tooth hurt, have them book a sleep dentist consultation, and run an xray}.

[Anthony · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's time for a visit to the dentist. Harry summons all of his dinosaurs to his bucket. They all respond except Tyrannosaurus, who has a lot of teeth and worried about the dentist drilling. A tale about the stress of a dental check-up.

[Melissa Namba · Rating 4 out of 5]

a good book to read with kids before going to the dentist. hopefully it doesn't encourage them to misbehave.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overcoming fear of going to the dentist

[Ness · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kid loved the dinosaurs!

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Noah was intrigued by this one most of all as he learned about dentists.

[Devin Srivastava · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like dinosaurs 🦖 too but I haven’t read Harry and the dinosaurs for like a year or something. But i liked when he was really brave at the dentist 🪥 appointment.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harry is a little boy whose best friends - his toy dinosaurs - are hiding around the house when it's time to go to the dentist. He eventually convinces them to join him for the trip, and after watching how well they do in the waiting room, in the chair that goes up and down, and in getting their teeth examined by the dentist, he submits to his own successful examination.

This is a cute story suitable for toddlers and preschoolers alike - or for any young child who may be facing a trip to the dentist and feeling some apprehension. Both my 5-year-old and my 1.5-year-old enjoyed listening to us read this book, and both loved the gentle illustrations of Harry and his dinosaur friends.

We'd borrow this one from the library again!

[Ryan Treaster · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun and entertaining book that can be read to children and help them understand that you can overcome fears. In this book, the little dinosaur is afraid to go to the dentist but eventually turns into a giant dinosaur and overcomes his fears.

Reading Level- Transitional Readers
Curricular Uses- Read Aloud or independent
Social Issues- this is a great book that relates to the issue of overcoming fears. Whether its in a book or real, children and people always have fears but with this book they can realize that it is possible to overcome them.
Literary Elements- Pictures really help support text and give you an idea of what is going on.

[Eve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would read this book to any class from Foundation to Year 3; particularly if any of the children were due to be attending the dentist. It is one book in a series about a boy called Harry and his toy dinosaurs. This particular book tells the story of Harry being afraid to go to the dentist and so taking his dinosaurs with him to scare the dentist away.

The noises made by the dinosaurs, and their names, would capture the children’s attention, and there is lots of detail in the illustrations that could be discussed with the class as well. It would also potentially allay any fears the class had about visiting the dentist.

[Meredith · Rating 3 out of 5]

short but cute read about a little kid's visit to the dentist's office

[Melanie Hetrick · Rating 2 out of 5]

Harry and his bucketful of dinosaurs are headed to the dentist. Harry is worried about his teeth being drilled so he makes the Tyrannusaurus go first. The dentist tells him just a look and a rinse (floride).

While this is a good story for allaying a child's fear about the dentist, the text is misleading in that a dentist is not just going to "look" in a child's mouth and have them rinse with floride.

[Lindsey · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sammy is afraid to go to the dentist's office, so he decides to take his dinosaurs. The dinosaurs come to life while he is sitting in the chair. By the end of the visit Sammy realizes that there was really nothing to be afraid of. I think this would be good for kids who are scared to go to the dentist. The dinosaurs coming to life is an example of animism. This was not one of my favorite books.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Since becoming a children's librarian, I've discovered these books about a boy named Harry who carries around his bucket of dinosaurs. They're really cute. Wish I had these to read to my boys when they were little but I do look forward to reading to my granddaughters, who seem to share their dads' love of dinosaurs, so far.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young boy takes his toy dinosaurs with him to help calm his fears on his first visit to the dentist.

Lower Grades K-3

Fiction
Topic - Subtopic: Animals-Dinosaurs; Family Life-Toys; Health & Wellness-Dentist Visits; Popular Groupings-Lower Grades Popular Authors/Starred Reviews;

[Christie Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to read during health month, because this book is about a boy who is nervous about going to the dentist. This book would also be a great introduction to a writing lesson on text-to-self connections.

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was okay, not brilliantly heart-warming but the illustrations were bold and eye-catching and the learning factor through the dinosaurs names would keep any young reader amused, with plenty of discussion while reading the story.

[The Brothers · Rating 4 out of 5]

We like the Harry and the Dinosaurs (or Robots) series. This time Harry bring his bucket o' dinosaurs along to the dentist for moral support. And for T-Rex to bite the dentist if he gets the drill out.

Nice illustrations.

[Tricia · Rating 2 out of 5]

boy fights fear of the dentist by imagining his dinosaurs being examined as well.

[Angela Randall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the cutest "Going to the dentist" story ever.

[M.A. Stacie · Rating 3 out of 5]

My eldest went crazy for these books. We had every single one at one point. It was all he would read!

[Annabella · Rating 5 out of 5]

Borrowed this book again in January 2014

[DeeDee]

Raaahhh :))

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow soon.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not as good as the first one, but it provides a good opportunity to talk to preschoolers, all of whom have not visited one yet, about the dentist.