If I Had a Triceratops

by George O'Connor

With deft visual humor, a New York Times best-selling author-illustrator imagines how awesome it would be to have a pet triceratops living in your backyard.

Wouldn’t it be great to have a triceratops for a pet? If you had one, it would probably be your best friend. It would always want to play with you, and it would always know how you’re feeling. On dark and stormy nights, if your triceratops got scared, you could let it sleep in your room. True, a triceratops is a little on the huge side, but that just means more pet to love, and more pet to love you right back! Just imagine your very own pet triceratops running out to greet you at the end of the day. Ooof! Wouldn’t that be the best thing ever?

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published February 10, 2015

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base and there are multiple George O'Conner's that illustrate comics

George O'Connor is the author of several picture books, including the New York Times bestseller Kapow!, Kersplash, and Sally and the Some-thing. JOURNEY INTO MOHAWK COUNTRY was his first graphic novel, a long-held dream that weaves together his passion for history and ongoing research into Native American life. He's also the author/illustrator of a new picture book, If I Had a Raptor.
He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

Reviews

[Alexandra Calaway · Rating 5 out of 5]

Being a cat person, Raptor is still my favorite but this definitely lived up to all my expectations. Well done again, George!

[Dalena Tran]

I loved the use of imagination in this book. To me this gives a great message to students because it shows them that it is okay to use your imagination. The Triceratops did a lot of similar things that a dog would do, but this book allowed the boy to use his imagination and it gave the boy a voice rather than shutting him down saying that the Triceratops is like a dog and should be a dog.

[Garrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

That kid is gonna get crushed to death.

[Heidi-Marie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute pictures and a fun concept that many kids will enjoy. Especially the younger ones who like dinos and those who like dogs for pets. Basically, this Trike is a dino dog, so it is funny to see him in dog situations, but how that is "adapted" for a dino. Definitely worth trying in storytime.

6/29/16 Opening book in my "T is for..". theme. The kids didn't react loudly to the overall story, but their faces showed they found it funny there was a dino acting like a dog. Very big eyes as they watched.

[Erin]

A little boy imagines all the things he would do if he had a triceratops as a pet. The opening image shows the boys with homemade horns and nose on his face showing it is his imagination that brings his “pet” to life.

[Kaethe · Rating 4 out of 5]

2015/4/27
library copy

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute concept. The boy has a vivid imagination and brings that into play as he thinks about life with a triceratops. The illustrations feel flat.

[Isabel Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love dinosaurs and I love this book. It is about a little boy imagining what his life would be like if he had a triceratops for a pet. He imagines daily life in his neighborhood, house, and community. It is comical because some of the things he imagines are typical pet activities (e.g. going for a walk); other things are typical, yet mixed with a little dinosaur humor (e.g. digging for bones which end up being dinosaur fossils). I would recommend this book for younger children ages 2-4 who are also dinosaur fans. Additionally, I would recommend it for parents of children who are begging them for their first pet because it would show them some of the responsibilities that go along with being a pet-owner.

[SaraKat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute book. The words tell one story and the pictures tell a different tale! The illustrations of the giant dinosaur doing dog things is hilarious and my favorite shot is the one of the dinosaur guarding the house. And her name is Sara. He he he

[Olivia S · Rating 3 out of 5]

"I would give her a house of her own in the backyard with lots of room to run around. (But I might let her sleep in my room when she gets scared)."

Cute. Not as great as "If I Had A Raptor", but still funny and cute. Would display. 3+

[McKenzie Kirsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I Had a Triceratops is a fun and funny book. I think it is funny because obviously, we can't have a triceratop as a pet because they are too big and they are extinct. I think it i funny because just like a dog, the triceratop has to be walked and picked up after, but the owner has to use a shovel because the tricertop leaves huge piles when going to the bathroom.
I like that they illustrator uses a warm and calming blue on the end pages. I also enjoy the white background, it really makes the illustrations pop out. The dust jacket is also the same as the hardcover of the book. I enjoy the skinny and playful font. I also like that there are a few words on every page so it isn't overwhelming to read and that also allows the illustrations to pop out.

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boy imagines what his life would be like if he had a pet triceratops. Dog owners will recognize a few commonalities. A cute little dinosaur book perfect for either dinosaur or pet-themed storytimes.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was great. A child thinks about having a triceratops and doing everything with it that you would do with a dog. Which doesn't goes extremely well when you have a creature a hundred times the size of a dog 😄

[Hope · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little boy dreams about how he'd take care of a pet triceratops. Very cute, short book.

[MelMon Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think we will stick with dogs for pets. They are enough work.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

With its brief, direct text and funny premise, this was a great choice for a 3-year-old reader. A dinosaur storytime read.

[Cecilia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clearly a commentary on dog ownership. Fun, but I liked the Raptor book better.

[Sarah Daniluk · Rating 5 out of 5]

We all want the perfect pet. For some, the perfect pet is a Triceratops.

[Dax · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adorable story that was set aside just for me because of my sheer love of triceratops dinosaurs!

[Cassie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's cute. A boy dreams of having a pet Triceratops, as if it was a dog.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book for all the young dinosaur lovers out there.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute book about one of my son's favorite Dinosaurs. Good read aloud.

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love how big the triceratops is on the pages! She really captures Oliver's attention. We checked this book out from the library and I now plan to purchase a copy for Oliver :)

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story.

[Alexis Norman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was cute and fun. I do feel like there could be more to it though.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cute, I read it for Dino Day story time and the kids loved it!

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly a very sweet book

[Chris White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Silly story about the unconditional love & companionship of a pet. The bold illustrations and cute details make this book a joy to read.

[Ms. Jeane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this book, it's cute to imagine a child with a pet dinosaur. I think I like the "If I had a raptor" more, but this one was still really cute.

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I felt like this book was lacking in several parts. This book did not have much of a story-line so it was confusing for the adult reading and my kids were not into this book. The illustrations are cute but could use more colorful colors. It's a cute story but it was not a book that we would read over and over again.