Countasaurus by Megan E. Bryant

by Megan E. Bryant

In this new series of concept-based, shaped dinosaur board books, little ones will learn dinosaur names for every letter of the alphabet, identify bold shapes, practice counting skills, and discover the bright colors in the dinosaur world. Both kid-friendly and educational, these board books make reading and playtime fun for the whole family!

Genres: Picture Books, Dinosaurs, Storytime, Counting, Mathematics

Board Book

First published September 5, 2012

About the author

I've counted books among my friends for as long as I can remember. I was born in Santa Monica, California, though that beautiful city is just one of many places I've called home; my family moved ten times before I graduated from high school. Moving so frequently gave me many opportunities to experience new places, meet new people, and make new friends . . . but it could be lonely, too, especially while I adjusted to a new town or school. When I felt homesick for people and places far away, I knew that I could always turn to my books, familiar friends who traveled everywhere I did. Reading so much inspired me to write my own stories and poems, on topics ranging from birds and snowflakes to castles and talking pasta (really!).

Looking back, all that reading and writing was the perfect preparation for my dream job: writing for children and young adults. I moved to New York City for college and after graduating from New York University with a degree in Dramatic Literature, I worked as a children's book editor for five years. Another move—this time with my husband—led me to close my eyes, hold my breath, and take the leap to become a full-time writer. It was the best decision I ever could've made.

I've lived in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for five years (that's almost a record for me) with my family, and I thank my lucky stars every day for the good fortune to write for kids and teens.

When I'm not writing, I'm . . .
Knitting obsessively, just like my grandmother did (if there's a knitting gene, I got it from her)
Drinking another pot of tea
Doodling on a 3 x 5 index card
Attempting to decipher the cryptic Post-It notes stuck to my desk
Reading voraciously, especially nonfiction or current events
Cooking vegetarian food (or, more likely, making dessert)
Trying to save my garden from a fearless band of marauding squirrels
Cuddling with my cat and wrestling with my dog
Covering my kids with kisses
(copied from the author's website)

Reviews

[Hailey Corman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun counting book. Get kids into counting who might not be. I like that it has the number 50 in it. But I do wish it focused on 0 too.

[Raimy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This bright wonderful book offers help in the learning of numbers from one to ten, with a bonus of 50 added in at the end! Each of the illustrations has countable aspects which tie in with the text so that parent and toddler can add together. I think I had two favourites from this book and that had to be the nine Maiasaura, stomping through a stream because the page was so bright and fun and aslo the ten eggs in the Tyrannosaurus Rex’s next, but more than those his fifty terrible teeth, however the parent or guardian reading this to the child may have their time cut out trying to count the 50 terrible teeth!


The books (Countasaurus, Shapeasaurus, Alphasaurus and Colorasaurus) are quite big, I’d say around A4 landscaped size but they are made into shapes reflecting the dinosaurs on the front which I thought was a really great idea. EAch book has a different dinosaur in a different colour and although you can tell the books are all form the same collection they each look exciting in their own way. Reading these to any child will depend on their interest in dinosaurs, the colours and pictures used and the age of the child. I think they would make great gifts for any child from around 18 to 30 months.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This eye-catching book will have even the older readers in the family glued to its pages because of its dinosaurs as they learn (or review how) to count from one to ten. The illustrations are vibrant, and the vocabulary stretches readers as they follow Microraptor trying to catch severn dragonflies or 9 Maiasaura moving loudly across a stream. In the case of Velociraptor, readers can count its six fingers and six claws as well as the other dinosaurs in the field, but they won't want to count his teeth since he has many more than six. Be warned: Your kids will want the other titles in this series: Alphasaurus, Colorsaurus, and Shapeasaurus. Who knew the prehistoric era could be so fun?

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really cute counting book with different dinosaurs for each number. Simple concept, but the illustrations are great, and I think it's definitely a book kids will love (and want to read over and over).

[Kendra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to increase my rating after realizing that on each page there are other things to count which equal the same number mentioned in the text. So Pterodactyl has 2 wings, but there are also two dinosaurs eating below you could count.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

dinosaurs, counting

[Elvira · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book went over great in toddler time, they loved the bright pictures, dinosaurs and the size is perfect for sharing.