Dinosaur Rocket!

by Penny Dale

No longer content with building, zooming, or even rescuing, the dinosaurs now have their sights set on something much, much bigger . . . the moon! Join our fearsome friends as they prepare for their cosmic journey: Is the rocket ready? Will the launch go smoothly? Can they make it to the moon? Another fast and furious adventure for anyone who loves dinosaurs and vehicles!

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

32 pages, Hardcover

First published November 10, 2015

About the author

Penny Dale was born in Abbey Road near The Beatles' Studio, but grew up in Ottery St Mary. Her first school was so small that all the children were in one classroom, and even that wasn't full. She drew and made things all the time and her dad showed her how to use a hammer properly, something she's still proud of. She made plasticine models of everything she could think of. When Penny was very small, she found her parents' folios from a time when they both went to life drawing classes in London. She remembers being immensely impressed by their drawing, and even though she was very young, she knew she wanted to draw like that one day. At her junior school she was encouraged to draw pictures to complement written work, and this she loved, though this was not encouraged later on at secondary school, which she found disappointing. However, she still managed to illustrate work in some subjects, like Science (lively diagrams), Geography (coloured-in maps) and even made a lift-the-flap Norman Castle in History.

After secondary school, Penny took a Foundation Course at Bristol, then took a gap year to work with the Arts Workshop in Bath, making props and costumes, acting, and counting the takings on foreign tours. Later she did a Fine Art Degree at Exeter, where she met her husband Bryan. After college she began working for a time at the Northcott Theatre, designing and making costumes and props again, before she and her husband moved to Northumberland to work on renewable energy projects and graphic design. Their daughter Sarah was born in Hexham, and a friendship developed with an artist she met at childbirth classes, which led to shared daughter-minding, making time for painting, drawing and print making. A year later Penny moved down to South Wales, where Bryan took up a lecturing post in design. It was there that she started to write and illustrate children's books.


Today Penny is one of the UK's leading illustrators of children's books. Her books have met with great success: BET YOU CAN'T and ONCE THERE WERE GIANTS were included in the UK SATS booklist for many years. WAKE UP MR B! was commended for the Kate Greenaway Medal 1988. ROSIE'S BABIES (written by Martin Waddell) won the Best Book for Babies award and was also shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal in 1990. NIGHT NIGHT CUDDLY BEAR (also written by Martin Waddell) and TEN IN THE BED both won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Award in 2001 and 2002 respectively. JAMIE AND ANGUS (written by Anne Fine) won the BOSTON GLOBE-HORN BOOK Award in 2003. Penny has sold over three million books worldwide and has been published in over twenty languages. Her most recent work includes PRINCESS, PRINCESS, as well as THE BOY ON THE BUS and JAMIE AND ANGUS TOGETHER.

Reviews

[Markku Kesti · Rating 1 out of 5]

Jos kirjan sisällöksi riittää, että Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus ja Megalosaurus matkustavat (viuh vauh) Kuuhun ja pitävät siellä (hui hai) hauskaa ja palaavat (vips hips) kotiin, niin tämä kirja on sinulle. Muut voivat jatkaa matkaa sillä mitään muuta nähtävää täällä ei ole.

[Ethan & Isaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if our astronauts were dinosaurs? Turns out most things would be the same, just more entertaining for me to read.

[Jacinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love all these books. Although it doesn't rhyme it's about making noise and just enjoying what these beasts get up too. Also it's about learning dinosaur names and the different vehicles that are used in each book.

[Jade · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dinosaur Rocket is the story of some dinosaurs who are on a mission to travel to the moon. We have read another of these books in the series and didn't enjoy that one at all and this one isn't much better.

The story is slightly more interesting with some interesting space vehicles to look at that intrigued the children but the overall way the story is told is not great at all. It's written in a way that sounds as if you're reading to a baby or toddler and is really awkward to read. The repetitive words at the end of each page are also really annoying. I love how repetition allows the children to join in but it needs a reason and in these books it's like it's there just for the sake of it!

The illustrations are interesting and the children liked seeing the space and dinosaur themed pictures as you don't see that often! They weren't my favourite illustrations to look at but it kept their interest for a little while so that's all that mattered.

This is not a book we'd rush to read again. It's ok to look at but again, the writing style lets the book down.

[Anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not like this book. The illustrations were amazingly detailed and showed texture, but I did not enjoy the writing. I know this book is for little children, but I would hate reading it out loud multiple times if my child owned this. I'm not a fan of the repetition within the lines. Whatever the last word was of the first sentence, the second sentence would start with the same word. This carried out throughout the whole book which made me dislike the book. Story wise it's an okay story.

[SPOILERS AHEAD]

Dinosaurs get ready to go to space, get to space, explore the moon, and come back home.

[Thomas Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars, rounded down.

I think the book is pretty good. The illustrations are great! This does a good job giving us a picture of the environment astronauts might find themselves in.

However, it does not give us a good picture of what astronauts do. They "get nervous and push buttons," drive around on dune buggies, play soccer on the moon, and come back and call themselves heroes? At least, that's how the book portrays them.

[BlackhamBooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not really much of a story - just a reimagining of the moon landing (and more) with anthropomorphized dinosaurs leading the way. The front flap is informational, with pictures and names of dinosaurs. The back flap has pictures and labels of tech and equipment.

Might be more of a niche audience, someone who really likes dinosaurs and science.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Realistic space vehicle and illustrations; various space elements: launch pad, moon vehicles, space suits, splash down; inside front and back covers feature both dinosaurs and space - two major loves of young elementary students

[Tori · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dinosaurs and outer space - what's not to love? Colorful, interesting illustrations. This would be great for outer space, rocket ships, or space travel storytime. I could stop and do the song "Zoom Zoom Zoom - We're Going to the Moon" in the middle (there's a perfect place for it).

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice book to introduce a storytime about space travel. There is nothing very dinosaur-like about the astronauts, except that they appear to be dinosaurs, and the story is just a simple go into space and come home story, but y'know, dinosaurs, space, two exciting topics, so, why not?

[Dylan Teut · Rating 4 out of 5]

The blurb on the back is a perfect "mentor text" blurb (thanks to Maria Walther for pointing that out!)

[Jenna Mills · Rating 1 out of 5]

Just bizarre. This book irritated me so much. If it had been about astronauts, it would have been really good, but why switch astronauts for dinosaurs? Makes no sense at all!

[Xa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was super cute to read with the toddler. He was asking about rockets earlier, so a trip to the library helped us out.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really liked this for my toddler/2s group!

[Miss Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

A toddler and up book about dinosaurs blasting off in a rocket with repatitive words. Lots of fun.

[Michelle Huber · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved the artwork, a very cute story about dinosaurs in space!

[Dan Hyer · Rating 2 out of 5]

My girls enjoy the Dinosaur pirates book better.

[Gretchen Oates · Rating 3 out of 5]

The journey of an astronaut but with dinosaurs.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

We read all things dinosaurs and space. This book had both but was just not that interesting. Although, what it lacked in story, it made up for in beautiful illustrations.

[Audrey Deel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I hated it... My 2 year old son LOVED it

[Library To-Go]

Pediatrust, 2/12/25, PWP

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

My son loved it. I read it over and over again. Might have to get his own copy.

Five stars because he loves it so much.

[Kiyoko]

meh..... not very interesting.

[Angela · Rating 2 out of 5]

Fun concept and nice illustrations, but the rhythm, meter, and onomatopoeia are so off it distracts and detracts from the story.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for the illustrations, especially on the "lift-off" page. The sentence pattern is different and fun.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the absurdity of dinosaurs being launched into space and exploring the moon strikes me as bizarrely humorous and implausible, this one is sure to be a hit. Young readers and dinosaur fans will love seeing the prehistoric creatures in their spacecraft and zooming across the face of the moon in their spacesuits. And when they spot their home planet and feel a tug toward home, a few readers' heart strings may be stirred as well. The watercolor and pencil illustrations are color-drenched and funny with those dinosaurs' tails somehow being encased in protective suits that fit them to a t. Are there dinosaurs in space? Of course not. But this book from Wales may make readers wish such a thing could have happened.

[Jenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dinosaurs are preparing for and then heading into space. The text is very simpler and repetitive and the illustrations are great fun...and most contain some realistic elements (the moon, rockets, Earth, etc. look realistic) while mixed with fantastical elements (dinosaurs in space suits, dinosaurs whizzing around the moon.). Definitely not scientific but great fun for those who love space or love dinosaurs or both.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admit it, I laughed outright throughout this nonsensical book about dinosaurs taking a rocket to the moon. The text isn't necessarily scintillating, but who cares. They're dinosaurs! They're wearing space suits! Their little dinosaur hands are attempting to drive moon buggies! Come on! This is for every dino-loving kid out there. Recommended.

[Jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Loved, loved, LOVED the illustrations. They were wonderfully drawn, engaging, and informative - I'm a sucker for space exploration, so the whole plot was fun for me.

But I hated the text. HATED the text. Text hating. Hating everything about the repetition. Repetition that makes me scream. Screaming away from the words. Words that won't stop.

[Deborah · Rating 3 out of 5]

As crazy as it seems, dinosaurs are off to the moon. The four-year-old loved this: dinosaurs, vehicles, rockets, space and moon landings. With rhyming text and detailed, panoramic illustrations, what's not to love?