Dino Pets

by Lynn Plourde, Gideon Kendall (Illustrator)

Where does a young dinosaur admirer go to find a pet? The Dino Pets store carries every kind of dinosaur a kid could possibly want. Sure, some of them might be a little too big and others might be too fast, but there are advantages, too—a Seismosaurus makes a great backyard playset! In this bouncy read-aloud, the larger-than-life but well-meaning dinosaurs come to life in vibrant color. Kids will love the juxtaposition of prehistoric creatures and modern-day suburbia. A section of facts about the amazing giants makes the book a complete delight for the youngest paleontologists.

Genres: Picture Books, Dinosaurs, Childrens, Storytime, Fiction, Humor

32 pages, Hardcover

First published May 17, 2007

About the author

I write kids' books--talk about a FUN job! I worked for 21 years as a speech-language therapist in Maine schools. When I got married, I got 3 & 4-year-old stepsons as part of my ready-made family. I read the boys picture books at bedtime. They fell asleep after 2 or 3 books, but I kept reading stacks and stacks of picture books and started to dream . . . maybe I could write picture books. I was already writing educational books (listening & speaking ideas for the classroom), but PICTURE BOOKS--that was different!

Different, and sloooooow! I had 13 years of rejections before getting my first book published, Pigs in the Mud in the Middle of the Rud, and I still get more rejections than acceptances--even after having more than 40 books published. So I'm still an author-in-training--learning to be a better author all the time.

I LOVE writing, the whole creative process. I also LOVE sharing my books with kids at schools: doing interactive readings, turning one of my books into a play, and teaching students how to plan and write different kinds of stories (i.e. problem stories, character stories, graphic novel scenes, fables) modeled after my books.

I love to try new kinds of writing such as poetic stories, a biography, a graphic novel, and more. Writing new kinds of stories is a challenge, but it makes writing fun and keeps me interested in the process.

Reviews

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was going to give this book two or three stars, but then I read something completely ridiculous on the "dinofacts" page:

"Hope you enjoyed these dino facts. They were true when this book was written, but keep in mind that when it comes to dinosaurs, facts can change."

False. Facts are something true that doesn't change. Which means the "facts" in this book are not actually facts. They are conjectures or theories. People act like all kinds of things in science are "facts," but they're not. It's very frustrating.

[Tracy Schillemore · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute rhyming book. This could be used as part of a dinosaur themed storytime or a pet themed storytime. I would used if for preschool but this would also be a good book for children who are learning to read. I enjoyed the pictures.

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great! Wonderful illustrations!

[Mely · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little story with fantastic illustrations. A great book for any little dinosaur lover. Book is short and sweet.

[Gail · Rating 5 out of 5]

We read this book sooooo many times when my daughter was in her dino phase.

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently came across this book at the library and remembered using it in my classroom when I was a preschool teacher. I had used Dino Pets with one- and two-year-olds during our unit on dinosaurs, and they always enjoyed it. Dino Pets follows a young boy who takes home all different kinds of dinosaurs for pets, but none of them works out. He picks the biggest dino, the smallest, the longest, the scariest, but either they don’t fit in his house, they run away, or they frighten his family. He runs out of dinosaurs to get from the pet shop and is sad, but in the end, all the dinos come back to him because, “No one likes to sleep alone.” This is a cute story about trying to find just the right pet that adds in the clever turn of the pets being dinosaurs. I like that it shows an assortment of dinosaurs that are not often used in other books, and an author’s note at the back tells the name of each dinosaur featured in the book as well as some information about it. Kids may enjoy listening to the rhyme in Dino Pets and seeing the funny scenes when the dinosaurs interact with humans. Kendall’s bright and friendly illustrations really bring the story to life and don’t make the dinosaurs seem scary. I only rate this four out of five stars because the rhythm is sometimes uneven. This is a fun, imaginative, and educational book.

[Lesley Dahlseng · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's difficult to decide which pet is the best, especially when it's a comparison of dinosaur pets. In this story a young boy happened upon a Dino Pets store, and so begins the plot: "I got a dino for a pet, the BIGGEST dino I could get." One can imagine the problems about to arise, so it is not surprising when the boy needs to change his choice of pet. As it turns out, dino pets of any kind have their own set of complications. After trying the fastest, lo-o-ongest , softest, smallest, and scariest dinosaur, it seemed that his pet search would only end in disappointment. But not so! You'll have to read it to see.

Kids enjoy the wonder of dinosaurs and this book both inspires imagination and develops reason. For instance, what would it actually be like if the longest dinosaur was at the playground? Imagining the possibilities and reasoning the probabilities are both at play in this book. Lynn Plourde writes in simple rhyme, great for literary development and memorization. Though there are a few stumbles in the rhythm, the overall idea and flow are fun and upbeat, ideal for animated storytelling that will excite our little readers. Gideon Kendall's illustrations are a real pleasure, with bold colors and humorous expressions throughout that will draw the reader into the story. Get it and get ready for some dramatic storytelling!

[Joanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't know what it is. I've been on a kick with dinosaur books this week for story time. I tried this book with my 0 - 3 year old group today. It's a short, simple story but still long enough that I knew it might be a push for this age group. The group was really well-behaved and focused today so I thought I'd give it a shot. It's a really cute and fun story about a boy who is trying to pick out a pet dinosaur. It's a good way to spark a conversation with young children about the different kinds of dinosaur, but with the 0 - 3 age group, we just talked about the dinosaurs different colors and scaly vs. soft (feathers!) Recommended!

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dino Pets is the perfect book for your dino-loven’ children that can’t get enough of those long gone prehistoric creatures. Or are they?? What if there was a store that had a dinosaur to fit any household?? They have big ones, long ones, small ones, furry ones and fast ones! Get one while you can!! Supplies are limited.

Gideon Kendall did a fantastic job with the beautiful brightly illustrated pictures; each drawing adding personality and conveying lots of emotion. A fun read-aloud that will be requested again and again. What dinosaur would you choose?

[Vivian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both performers at this weeks "Pet-tastic" story times had a copy of this as they told it in alternating voices. This method of story sharing helps more children see the pictures (there were 40 children attending), and keeps the interest high and the pace brisk.

Follow this story with the Joe Scruggs recording of "Please Don't Bring a Tyrannosaurus Rex to Show and Tell" on his "Late Last Night" c.d.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boy buys a dinosaur, only to find it is too big for his house. He returns it and brings home another and another - each one having some problem with is home.

I've read this story with my little boy, at preschool and with some of my sons older cousins. Its a hit with boys, girls and older siblings. I love it because it really sparks their imagination and they want to learn more about different dinosaurs.

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun. It was so much fun we read it twice, and I suspect we'll be reading it again in the morning. Why don't dinosaurs make good pets? Read this book and you'll find out! You will also find out that Gideon Kendall is a lovely illustrator, and Lynn Plourde has a sense of humor. Nice little appendix as well.

[Alisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun rhyming picture book about the kind of pet a little boy brings home...and eventually even though they all get away, they all return home. My son LOVES this book, so we read it numerous times a day.

[Samantha Grimaldi]

This is the first book in a set of books that follow the story of the dino pets. It is a cute look into what it would be like to have dinosaurs as pets. It also includes facts about dinosaurs so that the reader can learn about them as well.

[Jenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has beautiful illustrations and is written in rhyme. Great book for preschool storytime!!

[Trenton · Rating 1 out of 5]

like i said before dont have to read to like it. hate it.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rhymes seemed forced and awkward at times, but this was a big hit at story time.

[Sarah]

preschoolers

[Brianne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a favorite with the children I work with. They love the illustrations and the story!

[Amanda Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a fan of the cadence of this book. It's incredibly awkward to read.

[Krystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rhymes are a little off. Pictures are nice. It's good for a LITTLE kid that likes dinosaurs.

[Beccastreb · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one the boys want me to read over and over. We borrowed it from the library, but would like to buy our own copy.

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an all-time favorite from the library & is going to have to make its way onto a Christmas or birthday list. Repetitive (and well-loved) enough that my 3 year old can "read" it.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't usually review children's books too often, but these are the cutest books. My boys love them. Cute story, cute illustrations, well done!

[Mandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A boy goes to a dinosaur pet store to pick the perfect pet. Is it just right for him?

[Katie]

"I got no dino for a pet-- no more dinos left to get!"
A Gracie and Leah Favorite-- which Dino would you choose?

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

The kids LOVE this book.

[Elie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kids absolutely love it. It is fun, predictable, and prompts discussion of dinosaurs and their characteristics.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

kids liked this book

[Leslie · Rating 4 out of 5]

dinosaurs