Dinosaur Train: Triceratops for Lunch

by Andrea Posner-Sanchez, Caleb Meurer (Illustrator)

The Triceratops are coming over for lunch. Do you serve them plants or fish? That's what Buddy and his dinosaur siblings need to figure out before Tank and Trudie Triceratops arrive at the train station. This Little Golden Book retells an episode of the new PBS Kids animated series Dinosaur Train. It explains to young readers the difference between herbivores and carnivores—so that the next time you're dining with a dino, you'll know what to expect!

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Dinosaurs

24 pages, Hardcover

First published August 10, 2010

Reviews

[♥ Susan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Confusing book that further muddles the ideas it tries to clarify re: dino diets.

[AndreaH · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buddy the T Rex eats meat; his brother and sisters, pterandons, eat fish. But their friend the triceratops are coming to visit - what to feed them?
Apparently they eat plants. This books tries to explain the difference between meat and plant eaters, but the 3-year-old I was reading it to doesn't get that fish is a type of meat. And the hospitality message probably flew over her head too.

[Shannon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really really think I need to watch this show to get an understanding of what's going on; why the train?!?

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Totally not where I thought this book was going, given the title and two carnivores smiling at an herbivore.

BUT it was a cute - if oversimplified - introduction to the concept of plant vs. meat eaters, and how different animals have different adaptations to allow for their diets.

[Leigh · Rating 2 out of 5]

We love Dinosaur Train, but sadly I'm becoming disenfranchised with Little Golden Books. The illustrators are wonderful, and I love the originals, but all of these licensed ones just read like soulless cash grabs.

[Katie Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very cute and educational!

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute and very informative.

[Alessandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read the physical copy to my son & daughter. It’s a good & lengthy book. They loved it.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Triceratops for Lunch is a collection in the Dinosaur Train series. In this book Buddy and his brothers are having the Triceratops over for lunch and discover that their friends Trudie and Tank Triceratops do not eat fish. This is a surprise to Buddy and his brothers because they are carnivores and love to eat fish. The story then goes on to describe the make and characteristics of triceratops dinosaurs. Trudie Triceratops explains to her friends that her family are herbivores and display how they eat plants.

This is good read because not only is it entertaining for children who love dinosaurs, but it also informational. Author Andrea Posner-Sanchez does a great job in the writing aspect of specificity. She writes specific and factual details about Triceratops. Throughout the book she reinforces that Triceratops eat plants which displays a recurring detail. The recurring detail creates a lasting impression in the reader’s minds. To teach writing I could use the idea of a recurring detail. I could have students explore how having a specific detail occur more than once help the reader make connections to the story.

[Sara Bland]

I loved this book for science! This is a great book to read to students who are learning about dinosaurs and the different types of foods that they ate. This is also a great book to supplement materials when learning about the different types of feeders (omnivore, carnivore, herbivore). A lovely little story of friends who share their differences and learn about and appreciate one another's backgrounds. I would recommend this for any child K-2.

[Sarah A · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun golden book based on the Pbs series Dinosaur Train. This one explores the differences in herbivores and carnivores in a very delicate and fun way. A good book, clever at explaining differences simply for young kids / early readers.

[Jenn Ayers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Any book is worth rating 5 stars if it is a reason to have special time to read to your kids! :)

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was just like the TV episode so nothing new. For my 2.5 year old it was a little too long for her to sit through, but she liked to flip through the book.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute and informative book for little tykes, although I did recognize a line in there from another book.