What do you think?
Rate this book
Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs
The third title in National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book series, this book is for kids 4- to 8-years-old who LOVE dinos! The prehistoric world comes alive with dinosaurs small, big, giant, and gigantic, with stunning illustrations by Franco Tempesta—who illustrated National Geographic Kids The Ultimate Dinopedia. Bursting with fun facts and age appropriate information, each spread features a different dinosaur, along with simple text in big type that is perfect for little kids. Young dino fans will love the interactivity included in every chapter, and parents will appreciate tips to help carry readers’ experience beyond the page.
187 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 11, 2011
1280 people are currently reading
496 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews
September 25, 2017
The art is mostly quite good, and, as it is recent, more in tune with the current understanding of what the dinosaurs looked like. Lots of feathered beasts, for example.
But...
Organizationally the book is a mess. Instead of by era or by taxonomy or anything halfway sensible, the dinos are grouped by size: small-medium-large-gigantic. A pronunciation guide exists, which is nice, but is at the bottom of the page instead of the top, which is not nice. The format is a single dino per page spread, which means there are very few pictures of the dinosaurs interacting with each other.
There's a bit of page splatter, and ridiculous prompts-for-discussion.
Some of the text also strikes me as really dubious: e.g. an offhand comment about how Therizinosaurus may have used its claws for digging up beetles.
This is a picture, via wikipedia, that gives you an idea of the size of a Therizinosaurus :
Insects were bigger back then, but I refuse to believe they were so big that digging them up could possibly have been a significant component of the Therizinosaurus' diet.
An example of one of the image problems: Ankylosaurus is depicted with side spikes and spiky osteoderms switching into true spikes, which is probably worse than the traditional spikes-on-the-side depiction in older children's dino books.
DS #2 (age 2): 4/5. Dinochild enjoys the pictures. He also enjoys Dinoparent's rather free interpretation of the text. Dinoparent flatters itself at being rather good at this, because Dinoparent has read a LOT about dinosaurs over the past year, mostly to its appreciative audience, and knows way more about the subject than it ever thought it was likely to know. Hence its ability to make some of the criticisms noted in its review.
Dinoparent: ?/5. Didn't like it in many ways, but I can hammer it into something both I and my hatchling enjoy.
But...
Organizationally the book is a mess. Instead of by era or by taxonomy or anything halfway sensible, the dinos are grouped by size: small-medium-large-gigantic. A pronunciation guide exists, which is nice, but is at the bottom of the page instead of the top, which is not nice. The format is a single dino per page spread, which means there are very few pictures of the dinosaurs interacting with each other.
There's a bit of page splatter, and ridiculous prompts-for-discussion.
Some of the text also strikes me as really dubious: e.g. an offhand comment about how Therizinosaurus may have used its claws for digging up beetles.
This is a picture, via wikipedia, that gives you an idea of the size of a Therizinosaurus :
Insects were bigger back then, but I refuse to believe they were so big that digging them up could possibly have been a significant component of the Therizinosaurus' diet.
An example of one of the image problems: Ankylosaurus is depicted with side spikes and spiky osteoderms switching into true spikes, which is probably worse than the traditional spikes-on-the-side depiction in older children's dino books.
DS #2 (age 2): 4/5. Dinochild enjoys the pictures. He also enjoys Dinoparent's rather free interpretation of the text. Dinoparent flatters itself at being rather good at this, because Dinoparent has read a LOT about dinosaurs over the past year, mostly to its appreciative audience, and knows way more about the subject than it ever thought it was likely to know. Hence its ability to make some of the criticisms noted in its review.
Dinoparent: ?/5. Didn't like it in many ways, but I can hammer it into something both I and my hatchling enjoy.
May 7, 2025
This book organizes dinosaurs according to size--small, big, giant and gigantic--and is a good place to start learning about these prehistoric creatures if you are not familiar with them, as I am not. My dino-crazy grandson and I spent the better part of an hour pouring over this book and then matching his plastic dinosaurs with the pictures in the book. He has some not in the book and the book has quite a few more that he doesn't have (yet!) in the collection, but there were enough matches to make it fun and enough extras to keep the curiosity alive!
There are a whole series of these colorful and informative books for kids which I want to check out. I got the Little Kids First Big Book of Why for my granddaughter because every other word out of her mouth these days is 'why', 😂 ... but I haven't had a chance to read it to her yet.
There are a whole series of these colorful and informative books for kids which I want to check out. I got the Little Kids First Big Book of Why for my granddaughter because every other word out of her mouth these days is 'why', 😂 ... but I haven't had a chance to read it to her yet.
September 27, 2018
Très beau livre jeunesse pour les amateurs de dinosaures. Un mélange parfait de magnifiques illustrations, d'informations variées et visuellement bien représentées, ainsi qu'une série d'activités pour stimuler les petits. Très bien fait!
April 12, 2014
The nonfiction book, "National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs" is the perfect book for young children to find information on various dinosaurs. The entire book categorizes the dinosaurs into the sizes of small, big, giant, and gigantic and even includes pictures of every dinosaur it discusses. The number of facts this book provides is incredible and all of the information is interesting and exciting, which would keep any child engaged for the long haul. For example, The smallest dinosaur ever discovered has the longest name of all the dinosaurs, the "Micropachycephalosaurus." To go along with all of these facts are excellent illustrations. Not only do the pictures look beautiful but they also provide an accurate scale of size in comparison to a human being. It felt as though every inch of this reading was full of entertaining information that any child would appreciate.
I paired this book with the fiction story, "Crunch Munch Dinosaur Lunch" by Paul Bright. It is an excellent pairing for this book because both books are completely about dinosaurs. In the fiction tale "Crunch Munch Dinosaur Lunch," it tells a story of a T-Rex trying to hunt for food, as in other dinosaurs, but his younger brother keeps interrupting his hunt. The younger brother T-Rex runs into a bigger dinosaur towards the end of the story and his older brother must come and save him. Throughout the story the reader runs into plenty of dinosaurs which, in my opinion, would spark the interest of different dinosaurs in the child reading the book. This spark would undoubtedly make them go on the lookout for a book with dinosaur facts just like "National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs." My last reason for why these readings make a great pairing is the fact that both books have incredible illustration, perfect for any young child.
I paired this book with the fiction story, "Crunch Munch Dinosaur Lunch" by Paul Bright. It is an excellent pairing for this book because both books are completely about dinosaurs. In the fiction tale "Crunch Munch Dinosaur Lunch," it tells a story of a T-Rex trying to hunt for food, as in other dinosaurs, but his younger brother keeps interrupting his hunt. The younger brother T-Rex runs into a bigger dinosaur towards the end of the story and his older brother must come and save him. Throughout the story the reader runs into plenty of dinosaurs which, in my opinion, would spark the interest of different dinosaurs in the child reading the book. This spark would undoubtedly make them go on the lookout for a book with dinosaur facts just like "National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs." My last reason for why these readings make a great pairing is the fact that both books have incredible illustration, perfect for any young child.
November 26, 2023
“I liked it. I liked learning about what was in the book.”
January 5, 2022
fun but…
This was fun…so many dinosaurs!… but was kind of encyclopedic and the translation to the kindle iPad reader app was a bit off in how the physical book was most likely set up.
This was fun…so many dinosaurs!… but was kind of encyclopedic and the translation to the kindle iPad reader app was a bit off in how the physical book was most likely set up.
August 28, 2023
The first chapter book we finished…multiple times. Ask me about a dinosaur! 🤣
September 18, 2016
I like this book it teaches you about every dinosaur and what it eats and what the size of it I like this book
August 15, 2018
Hard book to get through, but well worth the read
-Lana, Age 3
-Lana, Age 3
February 6, 2020
I must read this book to my son 5 times a week. He loves dinosaurs and I have learned a ton from this book.
March 3, 2021
I love this
March 21, 2021
Meet the Microraptor, a feathered glider weighing less than four pounds. Read about Micropachycephalosaurus, a small mystery dinosaur about which scientists know almost nothing. Meet Pentaceratops, a big dinosaur with five horns on its head and a frill around the back of its head. Then meet Pachycephalosaurus, a big dinosaur with a thick head that ate leaves, seeds, and fruit.
If you want to know about even bigger dinosaurs, read about Tsintaosaurus, a dinosaur with a unicorn skull formed by one long bone sticking out from its forehead. Or read about Acrocanthosaurus, a giant dinosaur with eye ridges and thirty-eight sharp teeth in its upper jaw; it was one of the biggest meat-eating dinosaurs. Or learn about a Rebbachisaurus, a gigantic African dinosaur with a big ridge on its back. Discover the long-necked Mamenchisaurus, a gigantic dinosaur with a neck as long as five or six giraffe necks.
If you were a dinosaur, which dinosaur in this book would you want to be?
Divided into four sections, this National Geographic Kids book introduces young readers to fifty-two different dinosaurs, grouped by size. Dinosaur-loving readers can learn about Small Dinosaurs, Big Dinosaurs, Giant Dinosaurs, and Gigantic Dinosaurs. Each entry includes Dino Facts, information on what we now know about the dinosaur, the pronunciation of the dinosaur’s name, and dinosaur art.
Also included: Parent Tips, a Dinosaur Map, and a Glossary.
This treasure-trove of dinosaur facts is sure to please all dinosaur-loving young readers.
Highly recommended.
If you want to know about even bigger dinosaurs, read about Tsintaosaurus, a dinosaur with a unicorn skull formed by one long bone sticking out from its forehead. Or read about Acrocanthosaurus, a giant dinosaur with eye ridges and thirty-eight sharp teeth in its upper jaw; it was one of the biggest meat-eating dinosaurs. Or learn about a Rebbachisaurus, a gigantic African dinosaur with a big ridge on its back. Discover the long-necked Mamenchisaurus, a gigantic dinosaur with a neck as long as five or six giraffe necks.
If you were a dinosaur, which dinosaur in this book would you want to be?
Divided into four sections, this National Geographic Kids book introduces young readers to fifty-two different dinosaurs, grouped by size. Dinosaur-loving readers can learn about Small Dinosaurs, Big Dinosaurs, Giant Dinosaurs, and Gigantic Dinosaurs. Each entry includes Dino Facts, information on what we now know about the dinosaur, the pronunciation of the dinosaur’s name, and dinosaur art.
Also included: Parent Tips, a Dinosaur Map, and a Glossary.
This treasure-trove of dinosaur facts is sure to please all dinosaur-loving young readers.
Highly recommended.
July 28, 2019
Got this as a part of National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book Collector's Set and it's always fun to read.
We checked out the pictures at an early age (around 18 months) and practiced saying long dinosaur names and making sounds.
The text is done well, you can skip most of it for younger kids and then add a sentence here and there until you can read it all around the age of 5.
Information is scattered throughout the book so you don't end up reading one fact after another but one page mentions what is a herbivore, another explains how scientists name dinosaurs, the term paleontologist is explained later and it keeps the book interesting.
There are also questions for the young reader and even though they are simple, they make the book interactive and keep your child focused.
Well done introduction to the world of dinosaurs.
We checked out the pictures at an early age (around 18 months) and practiced saying long dinosaur names and making sounds.
The text is done well, you can skip most of it for younger kids and then add a sentence here and there until you can read it all around the age of 5.
Information is scattered throughout the book so you don't end up reading one fact after another but one page mentions what is a herbivore, another explains how scientists name dinosaurs, the term paleontologist is explained later and it keeps the book interesting.
There are also questions for the young reader and even though they are simple, they make the book interactive and keep your child focused.
Well done introduction to the world of dinosaurs.
August 13, 2020
National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs is a great children’s nonfiction. It is the perfect book for young children to find fun facts on a variety of dinosaurs. The book categorizes the dinosaurs into the sizes of small, big, giant, and gigantic with pictures of every dinosaur it talks about. The information in the text of the book information is interesting and exciting. This book is great for young readers as well as dinosaur lovers in the class. It would be best for kindergarten through first grade. The illustrations are a great support for the facts and very colorful. An interesting part of the pictures it the way they show size comparison of the dinosaurs to humans. I could see a great classroom activity of sorting things by size. The book even includes a table of contents, index, page numbers, a map, and a glossary. This would be a great way to talk about the parts of a book and and what information each part contains.
April 28, 2020
This is a wonderful book for children who love their Dinos! This book is particularly for younger kids who are intrigued by dinosaurs and all their facts. This book shows the interesting world of dinosaurs from big to small ones, ones that can fly and ones that just walk. This book portrays many different dinosaurs on each page with colorful fun pictures and a description box explaining each dinosaur.
I rated this book with 5 stars because it is a great informational book for children to pick up and learn from if they are interested in the past life of dinosaurs. This book teaches children all about their history and what they are like from their habitats to what they eat.
I rated this book with 5 stars because it is a great informational book for children to pick up and learn from if they are interested in the past life of dinosaurs. This book teaches children all about their history and what they are like from their habitats to what they eat.
December 11, 2020
Very nice book!
I really enjoyed this informational book! The images were great and the facts about each of the dinosaurs was very interesting! The glossary, pronunciation guide to dinosaur names, and The tips for parents were all excellent and thoughtful additions to the book. The only issue I encountered was due to reading the Kindle version, which did not convert as seamlessly as expected. Some information appeared on the images as it was supposed to while other times, the information was below the images as opposed to on the images. Overall, I would recommend the physical copy if you are selecting this for a child just for ease of reading.
I really enjoyed this informational book! The images were great and the facts about each of the dinosaurs was very interesting! The glossary, pronunciation guide to dinosaur names, and The tips for parents were all excellent and thoughtful additions to the book. The only issue I encountered was due to reading the Kindle version, which did not convert as seamlessly as expected. Some information appeared on the images as it was supposed to while other times, the information was below the images as opposed to on the images. Overall, I would recommend the physical copy if you are selecting this for a child just for ease of reading.
October 30, 2025
This book is an interactive book for young elementary schoolers that introduces 52 types of dinosaur species through large, colorful illustrations and simple facts. It is organized by dinosaur size (small, big, giant, gigantic) and includes features like phonetic pronunciations, comparative size charts and interactive prompts to encourage engagement. In addition to all the facts, the book also includes a world map of fossil finds, a glossary, and tips for parents to extend the learning experience. This book is great to have in the classroom because students can explore it on their own, learn how to utilize a glossary and practice saying sounds and forming them into words.
February 21, 2020
This is essentially a younger version of National Geographic's wonderful Ultimate Dinopedia. It's very similar in layout and artwork to the Ultimate Dinopedia, but has shorter entries, simpler language, and easier-to-read words. It's perfeft gor kids who have the fascination, but not quite the reading proficiency and/or attention span to make it all the way through the Ultimate Dinopedia's much longer descriptions. I'd love to see National Geographic do so something similar with their Ultimate Bugopedia and Ultimate Reptilopedia. Highly recommended.
November 2, 2023
While my 5yo grandson enjoyed looking at the illustrations and being read bits and pieces of the facts for each dinosaur, he wasn't interested in ALL the information that was provided. He was not interested in trying to help me read. The pages are very busy and the font is in various sizes. We also took our time and did this book a few dinosaurs at a time (so two or three types of dinosaurs every time I watched him). His 3yo sister was not interested in this particular book at all.
December 15, 2019
As with the others in this series, this is a fun book full of great information geared towards a younger audience. None of it is overwhelming, but neither is it missing anything important for a good overview of dinosaurs - small, big, giant, and gigantic. If you have a kid with a science inclination or a dinosaur obsession, this is a great book to get them.
February 15, 2022
Another book I’ve been reading to my son every night before bed. He is obsessed with dinosaurs and this one - with just snippets of facts and beautiful pictures - fit the bill for an easy read.
He has many more books that contain loads more information on this subject but I think he likes this one because it’s bite-sized and easy to read!
He has many more books that contain loads more information on this subject but I think he likes this one because it’s bite-sized and easy to read!
January 26, 2023
This is a beautiful and informative book. Our almost 2 year old grandson is very into dinosaurs and has lots of Dino books. This one is helping Gigi and Grandpa learn how to pronounce and identify them for when we visit. When he is a little older this one will be more information for him about his favorite ones or perhaps ones he had never heard of.
February 27, 2017
This is one of the few kid dinosaur books I've found that has feathers on most of the theropods. Some of them are still denuded though, most notably Utahraptor. Someday kids books will catch up with 10 year old science...
August 6, 2017
This book is an ideal present for a child. All of my kids have loved it and learned so much from it. It is written for a child and does a great job of making it easy to follow and interesting. You don't read it all in one sitting. Beautiful pictures, small chunks of fun information.
March 10, 2019
Organized by size and divided into 4 categories (small, big, giant, and gigantic) this big book features realistic looking illustrations and short facts about 52 different dinosaurs! Includes pronunciations, ideas for activities, world map, glossary, and index.
April 24, 2020
Pre-School - 1st Grade
Genre: Informational Nonfiction
This book was very interesting. I read it with my little brother cause he loves dinosaurs. It was cool how the book talked about all the different types of dinosaurs. I really liked how it had some informational facts on each dinosaur.
Genre: Informational Nonfiction
This book was very interesting. I read it with my little brother cause he loves dinosaurs. It was cool how the book talked about all the different types of dinosaurs. I really liked how it had some informational facts on each dinosaur.
March 13, 2021
So I learned so much about dinosaurs in this book. My favorite was the T-Rex. It's ability to dig into the body of its prey and get its teeth into its bones, was the most powerful ability I've ever seen about that. And they also have about the same jaw grip as an alligator.
May 13, 2022
This book has tons of facts and they are interesting about dinosaurs, the illustrations are amazing as well. Did you know Carnotaurus had a square head. This dinosaur might remind you of a bull because it had two horns on its head.
August 26, 2018
Great selection from our last trip to the library. I especially appreciate the pronunciation guide and size reference for each dino. Daughter, almost 4yo, really enjoys readjng this one.
September 28, 2018
Beautifully illustrated by Franco Tempesta, Catherine Hughes takes us on a journey of exploration and discovery, as we learn about the world of dinosaurs.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 60 reviews