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What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night: A Very Messy Adventure
From the parents who brought us the web sensation "Dinovember" comes photographic proof of what toys do at night.
Since Toy Story (and maybe since the very first toys!) children and their parents have wondered what it would be like if toys came to life. Refe and Susan Tuma take this wonder several steps further in What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night.
Every November, writer and social media master Refe Tuma and his wife, Susan, work into the night to bring their four children scenes from the secret lives of their toys—specifically the nighttime antics of their plastic dinosaurs. The dinosaurs wreck bathrooms, destroy vases, rock out, encounter terrifying hot irons, even do the dishes with hilarious, magical results. Each scene is photographed in meticulous detail, letting viewers joyfully suspend disbelief and think to themselves—just LOOK what the dinosaurs did last night!
Since Toy Story (and maybe since the very first toys!) children and their parents have wondered what it would be like if toys came to life. Refe and Susan Tuma take this wonder several steps further in What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night.
Every November, writer and social media master Refe Tuma and his wife, Susan, work into the night to bring their four children scenes from the secret lives of their toys—specifically the nighttime antics of their plastic dinosaurs. The dinosaurs wreck bathrooms, destroy vases, rock out, encounter terrifying hot irons, even do the dishes with hilarious, magical results. Each scene is photographed in meticulous detail, letting viewers joyfully suspend disbelief and think to themselves—just LOOK what the dinosaurs did last night!
41 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 28, 2014
19 people are currently reading
499 people want to read
About the author
Refe Tuma
10 books73 followersRefe Tuma is the author of middle grade adventure/horror novels FRANCES AND THE MONSTER and the Bram Stoker Award nominated sequel, FRANCES AND THE WEREWOLVES OF THE BLACK FOREST (HarperCollins 2022, 2023).
Refe is also the co-creator of Dinovember and the WHAT THE DINOSAURS DID picture book series, including WHAT THE DINOSAURS DID LAST NIGHT, named a Best Children’s Book of the Year with Honors by Bank Street College. Since 2013, his Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominated short stories and essays have appeared in everything from wonderfully obscure literary journals to the New York Times.
He lives with his family, two cats, and a dog in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. Oh, and it’s pronounced ‘reef.’
Refe is also the co-creator of Dinovember and the WHAT THE DINOSAURS DID picture book series, including WHAT THE DINOSAURS DID LAST NIGHT, named a Best Children’s Book of the Year with Honors by Bank Street College. Since 2013, his Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominated short stories and essays have appeared in everything from wonderfully obscure literary journals to the New York Times.
He lives with his family, two cats, and a dog in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. Oh, and it’s pronounced ‘reef.’
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 200 reviews
November 30, 2021
LAST CHANCE TO DINOVEMBER!!!
IT'S NOVEMBER, Y'ALL!!!
with all the garbage going on in my life right now, i forgot that it was dinovember! time to catch up!!
https://twitter.com/dinovember?lang=en
another item to add to the list of "ways in which i was failed as a child."
1) not born a redheaded princess
2) no pony. not even one.
3) made to eat canned green beans. seriously - i know it was the 70's but COME ON! we had a GARDEN!!
4) never once woke up to a tableau of dinosaurs behaving badly, complete with smashed dishes and dino-graffiti all over the walls.
because the four children belonging to the authors of this book get to wake up to such tableaux THIRTY DAYS OUT OF EACH YEAR!!! and probably have never even heard of canned green beans.
this book is, i think, a book of professionally-photographed reenactments of previous dinovembers, judging by the impeccable lighting and staging compared against the images available on their own internet places like here and here, and also the fact that so many of these pictures seem to be catching the dinosaurs in the midst of their tomfoolery, rather than a scene being discovered the morning after by lucky, cherished children.
for example, detective karen notes that this sink hasn't overflowed and the bubbles are still fresh and frothy
and this popcorn in still in midair:
which reminds me - so very many of these stagings involve butter. so much butter wasted. but also - not smooshy as it would have been after several hours.
and whatever is happening here definitely hasn't been there for too long.
i don't even know where you get enough ice to do that, let alone thinking you can fool the reader of this book into believing this was a stage set and left for the kids to find in the morning. a kid looks at that picture and thinks "FUN!" a grown-up looks at it and thinks "who is going to pay that bill?" thankfully, "FUN!" was my first thought, so i'm not quite grown yet.
and while it must be so magical to wake up to mischievous dinosaurs every morning for a month (although i have no way of knowing for sure because of how shamefully i was deprived of dinosaur stagings) i have a couple of reservations about the irresponsible behavior these dinosaurs exhibit.
never mind how much food they waste
or the dirrrrty-play they encourage:
but this - THIS!!!
this is crazytown!! this is a scene you stage for children ranging in ages from 1-7??? i mean, i understand you wanna thin your herd, considering how high your food-and-freezer bills must be, but this is basically an encouragement to misadventure! dcs would see this as a confession. watch your back.
i love that a great deal of the time, the funniest parts of the scenes are things that are happening off to one side or in the background. there's a lot going on in here, and i love it.
this is my favorite of all the dinosaurs:
because his expression can either be rage or terror or glee depending on what is going on around him.
and i liked this bit of evolutionary cannibalism
but most of all, i like that this book finally taught me what killed the dinosaurs:
"food" poisoning.
guess i won't be going extinct anytime soon!
great pictures, usually funny captions, genius idea.
i will leave my door unlocked for you please.
also, LGM
THIS IS THE LAST DAY OF DINOVEMBER!
(to be sung to the tune of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hnqO...)
come to my blog!
IT'S NOVEMBER, Y'ALL!!!
with all the garbage going on in my life right now, i forgot that it was dinovember! time to catch up!!
https://twitter.com/dinovember?lang=en
another item to add to the list of "ways in which i was failed as a child."
1) not born a redheaded princess
2) no pony. not even one.
3) made to eat canned green beans. seriously - i know it was the 70's but COME ON! we had a GARDEN!!
4) never once woke up to a tableau of dinosaurs behaving badly, complete with smashed dishes and dino-graffiti all over the walls.
because the four children belonging to the authors of this book get to wake up to such tableaux THIRTY DAYS OUT OF EACH YEAR!!! and probably have never even heard of canned green beans.
this book is, i think, a book of professionally-photographed reenactments of previous dinovembers, judging by the impeccable lighting and staging compared against the images available on their own internet places like here and here, and also the fact that so many of these pictures seem to be catching the dinosaurs in the midst of their tomfoolery, rather than a scene being discovered the morning after by lucky, cherished children.
for example, detective karen notes that this sink hasn't overflowed and the bubbles are still fresh and frothy
and this popcorn in still in midair:
which reminds me - so very many of these stagings involve butter. so much butter wasted. but also - not smooshy as it would have been after several hours.
and whatever is happening here definitely hasn't been there for too long.
i don't even know where you get enough ice to do that, let alone thinking you can fool the reader of this book into believing this was a stage set and left for the kids to find in the morning. a kid looks at that picture and thinks "FUN!" a grown-up looks at it and thinks "who is going to pay that bill?" thankfully, "FUN!" was my first thought, so i'm not quite grown yet.
and while it must be so magical to wake up to mischievous dinosaurs every morning for a month (although i have no way of knowing for sure because of how shamefully i was deprived of dinosaur stagings) i have a couple of reservations about the irresponsible behavior these dinosaurs exhibit.
never mind how much food they waste
or the dirrrrty-play they encourage:
but this - THIS!!!
this is crazytown!! this is a scene you stage for children ranging in ages from 1-7??? i mean, i understand you wanna thin your herd, considering how high your food-and-freezer bills must be, but this is basically an encouragement to misadventure! dcs would see this as a confession. watch your back.
i love that a great deal of the time, the funniest parts of the scenes are things that are happening off to one side or in the background. there's a lot going on in here, and i love it.
this is my favorite of all the dinosaurs:
because his expression can either be rage or terror or glee depending on what is going on around him.
and i liked this bit of evolutionary cannibalism
but most of all, i like that this book finally taught me what killed the dinosaurs:
"food" poisoning.
guess i won't be going extinct anytime soon!
great pictures, usually funny captions, genius idea.
i will leave my door unlocked for you please.
also, LGM
THIS IS THE LAST DAY OF DINOVEMBER!
(to be sung to the tune of: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hnqO...)
come to my blog!December 1, 2021
but this year YES
NOT THIS YEAR!
THIS YEAR I DID A BETTER JOB REMEMBERING!!! DINOFLOAT!
i have missed nearly all of dinovember!! http://dinovember.tumblr.com/
this year, there are TWO dinovember-related books to enjoy! there's What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night, which has bunches of photographs of those dinosaurs being mischievous from dinovembers past, and now there is this one - a children's book where there are some pictures of dino-naughtiness, but also an attempt at a narrative to go along with the pictures of the dinosaurs making messes with toys, knitting supplies, food, paint, and mousetraps.
i'm sure the story-part will delight and amuse children, since it is basically all about destruction rarrrrrrr, but i'm just in it for the pictures, and i wished there were more of them. this is why we have internet, karen! and i know, i know, but i'm just saying...
i would give the book 5 stars for concept and pictures and 3 stars for desultory story, which math turns into 4 stars overall.
but also 5 stars for this picture because it totally looks like one dinosaur peeing on another dinosaur which everyone knows is the HEIGHT of comedy
and which made me see this picture in a probably unintended way
i never claimed to be the adult in this relationship.
it was good to see my favorite dinovember-dino again.
good old yellysaurus. may you have many adventures.
but let's have a moment of meditative silence together for this: in the backmatter (because i am the kind of person who reads the backmatter in children's picture books), there was the following statement:
No dinosaurs were harmed in the making of this book, with the exception of Vincent the Dilophosaurus. He was treated with high-quality superglue and has since made a full recovery.
i'm pretty sure this is vincent:
my thoughts and prayers are with you, vincent, and i hope you guys all make it through this dinovember unscathed!
here's to you!!
come to my blog!
NOT THIS YEAR!
THIS YEAR I DID A BETTER JOB REMEMBERING!!! DINOFLOAT!
i have missed nearly all of dinovember!! http://dinovember.tumblr.com/
this year, there are TWO dinovember-related books to enjoy! there's What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night, which has bunches of photographs of those dinosaurs being mischievous from dinovembers past, and now there is this one - a children's book where there are some pictures of dino-naughtiness, but also an attempt at a narrative to go along with the pictures of the dinosaurs making messes with toys, knitting supplies, food, paint, and mousetraps.
i'm sure the story-part will delight and amuse children, since it is basically all about destruction rarrrrrrr, but i'm just in it for the pictures, and i wished there were more of them. this is why we have internet, karen! and i know, i know, but i'm just saying...
i would give the book 5 stars for concept and pictures and 3 stars for desultory story, which math turns into 4 stars overall.
but also 5 stars for this picture because it totally looks like one dinosaur peeing on another dinosaur which everyone knows is the HEIGHT of comedy
and which made me see this picture in a probably unintended way
i never claimed to be the adult in this relationship.
it was good to see my favorite dinovember-dino again.
good old yellysaurus. may you have many adventures.
but let's have a moment of meditative silence together for this: in the backmatter (because i am the kind of person who reads the backmatter in children's picture books), there was the following statement:
No dinosaurs were harmed in the making of this book, with the exception of Vincent the Dilophosaurus. He was treated with high-quality superglue and has since made a full recovery.
i'm pretty sure this is vincent:
my thoughts and prayers are with you, vincent, and i hope you guys all make it through this dinovember unscathed!
here's to you!!
come to my blog!
November 8, 2024
Dinosaurs mess my house up every night when I go to sleep...I KNEW IT! Now I have proof! I suspect that this problem is going on all over the country...and something tells me that mom/dad might not be listening! Made me think of all the times I tried to use an excuse with my mom; but 'mom vision' sees right through anything you try to blame what you did on!
December 10, 2014
If you don't love a book about toy dinosaurs being strategically placed into everyday situations, I just don't know what to say to you.
April 24, 2016
My little boys love this book! My 2-year-old in particular, keeps picking it up to look through it again.
February 14, 2017
This is a very cute children's picture book. It consists of photographs of toy dinosaurs caught in various stages of mischief around the house. Highly recommend.
February 26, 2016
Strange messes have started appearing in your home. They start small - some chewed up shoes, your toys scattered everywhere - but before long your whole house is a mess! Is it monsters, or maybe your dog? No, it's dinosaurs!
This was a cute, silly story for younger kids with kind of a Toy-Story feel to it (though the dinosaurs here don't feel any need for secrecy). A group of dinosaurs have made themselves at home - in YOUR house - and a proceeding to make a huge mess. Will you ever be able to get rid of them before they destroy everything?
One neat aspect is that for illustrations, the authors used photographs of toy dinosaurs in various poses (& messes).
This was a cute, silly story for younger kids with kind of a Toy-Story feel to it (though the dinosaurs here don't feel any need for secrecy). A group of dinosaurs have made themselves at home - in YOUR house - and a proceeding to make a huge mess. Will you ever be able to get rid of them before they destroy everything?
One neat aspect is that for illustrations, the authors used photographs of toy dinosaurs in various poses (& messes).
November 17, 2015
Giggling fits every single time we read this.
May 14, 2016
My grandson received this book for his first birthday from the owner of the local bookstore where he attends a weekly story hour. He loves it! Very well done and amusing photo story book. Fun to read aloud. 'After all, everyone knows that DINOSAURS ARE DRY CLEAN ONLY!!!'
January 3, 2018
This is sooooo cute, although sometimes the thought of the cleanup afterwards made me cringe!
January 9, 2021
So fun, totally impressive, and a moving introduction to boot.
October 3, 2018
So, so cute, I love this idea!
January 6, 2018
I wish I would have thought of doing this when my children were little!
November 24, 2015
I am normally not a fan of photo books, but this won me over with its humor and crazy dinosaur antics. I loved the T-rex shaving and the one caught in multiple mouse traps.
November 1, 2024
Hilarious! The details in these photo illustrations had me in stitches!!!
November 17, 2014
I followed this blog during Dinovember last year and was so glad when the book arrived at the store late last month. What a five star blast. The perfect gift for creative folks or anyone who wishes they could have this much fun with everyday life. Really, this is so much better at restoring joie de vivre than any self-help book. Here's hoping it figures into many a holiday gift giving scenario, it deserves to be chuckled over near and far.
January 28, 2015
So much more than hilarious pictures! I loved the story of how these two created Dinovember, how they rediscovered creativity, and how they have begun to see the exploration of infinite possibilities blossom in their children. And all this from just a little adventure into letting go, having fun, and a box of hand-me-down toys!
June 13, 2015
Excellent staging!
Teddy Bear Sleepover but WAAAAAAAAY cooler. Elf on the Shelf? Lame.
I love the idea of bringing this to the library. Sometimes it's difficult for kids to part with their stuffed animal for even one night. Maybe this would reach a new group.
Teddy Bear Sleepover but WAAAAAAAAY cooler. Elf on the Shelf? Lame.
I love the idea of bringing this to the library. Sometimes it's difficult for kids to part with their stuffed animal for even one night. Maybe this would reach a new group.
November 7, 2014
pure joy.
January 17, 2015
Absolutely the best book ever!!!!!!!!!!! You must get this book, it's not just for kids. Humans of all ages will love this book!
June 27, 2023
In a world where dinosaurs are thought to be extinct, we can see that they are not. This book not only reminded me that dinosaurs are awesome, but they are very much alive.
November 8, 2015
A book where the captions are just as funny as the pictures are!
This book is fun for all ages and makes me wish that I had the creativity to stage all sorts of scenes for my plastic dinosaurs!
This book is fun for all ages and makes me wish that I had the creativity to stage all sorts of scenes for my plastic dinosaurs!
November 18, 2015
Theme: dinosaurs
September 1, 2016
Lots of kid appeal here.
Read
September 16, 2018Using realistic photographs, authors Refe and Susan Tuma explore what dinosaurs do behind closed doors. The answers may surprise you and keep readers very alert for stray dino visitors.
August 8, 2024
Cute! Fun for younger children.
November 23, 2015
What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night: A Very Messy Adventure by Refe and Susan Tuma is a picturebook from the parents who brought us the web sensation "Dinovember" comes photographic proof of what toys do at night. Kids have always thought about what would happen in their toys came to life. One creative pair of parents decided to find out. Every November, writer and social media master Refe Tuma and his wife, Susan, work into the night to bring their four children scenes from the secret lives of their toys; specifically the nighttime antics of their plastic dinosaurs. The dinosaurs wreck bathrooms, destroy vases, rock out, encounter terrifying hot irons, even do the dishes with hilarious, magical results. This book offers the story about how the dinosaurs behave, why, and what not to do if it starts happening in your house. the photographs and text come together nicely to ignite imaginations and humor readers of all ages.
What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night is a picturebook that I greatly enjoyed. I had seen stories about these parents, and the trend that they started (there are many parents out there doing this or similar things now). I always get a kick out of the imagination and inventiveness they use to create these plastic dinosaur tableau's. I love the photographs and admit to being daunted by the amount of work this team put into placing the dinosaurs and coming up with stories to match. I think some younger or more sensitive children might find the idea and execution of some of the scenes a little troubling. When my oldest was younger he would have needed the light on in his room and had trouble sleeping with the idea that the toys in his room were wandering around the house and up to mischief, while my youngest would have been upset that they were not including her in the fun.
I would recommend What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night to families that might consider joining in the fun, or that take part in similar things like Elf on the Shelf and so one. I am frankly afraid to share this one with my kids, because I do not have the energy to do this sort of crazy fun. I highly appreciate those that have the creativity and willingness to entertain us all along with their children.
What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night is a picturebook that I greatly enjoyed. I had seen stories about these parents, and the trend that they started (there are many parents out there doing this or similar things now). I always get a kick out of the imagination and inventiveness they use to create these plastic dinosaur tableau's. I love the photographs and admit to being daunted by the amount of work this team put into placing the dinosaurs and coming up with stories to match. I think some younger or more sensitive children might find the idea and execution of some of the scenes a little troubling. When my oldest was younger he would have needed the light on in his room and had trouble sleeping with the idea that the toys in his room were wandering around the house and up to mischief, while my youngest would have been upset that they were not including her in the fun.
I would recommend What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night to families that might consider joining in the fun, or that take part in similar things like Elf on the Shelf and so one. I am frankly afraid to share this one with my kids, because I do not have the energy to do this sort of crazy fun. I highly appreciate those that have the creativity and willingness to entertain us all along with their children.
January 4, 2015
Strange things are happening all over the world. By night, plastic dinosaurs are creeping out of their toy boxes, shaking off their polite demeanors, and getting up to mischief.
No one knows how long this has been going on, but in 2012 Refe and Susan Tuma first noticed and started documenting online the shenanigans that their herd of plastic dinos were getting up to. By the autumn of 2013, reports were coming in from all over the world. Dinovember had arrived and cheeky plastic dinos were taking the world by storm.
By the 2014 launch of Refe and Susan Tuma's What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night, children all over the world were waking up each day in November to see what mischief had been wrought during the night. Facebook feeds and Pinterest boards were deluged with dinotastic destruction. One couldn't go on social media without seeing a T. rex stealing Halloween candy, a diplodicus devastating a birthday cake, or a triceratops tangled up in toilet paper, all aggregated under the tag #Dinovember.
What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night is an excellent way to bring a bit of wonder, mystery, and joy to your child during the late autumn. This book will give you lots of inspiration for what your herd of naughty raptors can get up to next November.
This review and more like it available at http://bibliopapa.blogspot.com/2015/0...
No one knows how long this has been going on, but in 2012 Refe and Susan Tuma first noticed and started documenting online the shenanigans that their herd of plastic dinos were getting up to. By the autumn of 2013, reports were coming in from all over the world. Dinovember had arrived and cheeky plastic dinos were taking the world by storm.
By the 2014 launch of Refe and Susan Tuma's What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night, children all over the world were waking up each day in November to see what mischief had been wrought during the night. Facebook feeds and Pinterest boards were deluged with dinotastic destruction. One couldn't go on social media without seeing a T. rex stealing Halloween candy, a diplodicus devastating a birthday cake, or a triceratops tangled up in toilet paper, all aggregated under the tag #Dinovember.
What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night is an excellent way to bring a bit of wonder, mystery, and joy to your child during the late autumn. This book will give you lots of inspiration for what your herd of naughty raptors can get up to next November.
This review and more like it available at http://bibliopapa.blogspot.com/2015/0...
December 15, 2015
WHAT THE DINOSAURS DID LAST NIGHT: A VERY MESSY ADVENTURE by Refe Ruma and Susan Tuma describes the chaos that ensues when toy dinosaurs come to life.
Told through cleverly staged photographs, the narrator speaks directly at readers describing what happens in one home when the plastic dinosaurs come out at night. From raiding the refrigerator to painting the walls, the dinosaurs wreak havoc. When everything returns to normal, readers are told not to be fooled.
A note at the end of the book explains the origin of the idea and how it became an international sensation known as Dinovember, the month when plastic dinosaurs come to life.
Librarians will have a blast working with youth to create their own dinosaur adventures in the library. Get out the digital cameras and have some fun!
To enjoy many more plastic dinosaur photos, go to http://dinovember.tumblr.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/dinovember/.
Published by Little Brown, an imprint of Hachette on October 20, 2015. Review copy courtesy of the publisher.
Told through cleverly staged photographs, the narrator speaks directly at readers describing what happens in one home when the plastic dinosaurs come out at night. From raiding the refrigerator to painting the walls, the dinosaurs wreak havoc. When everything returns to normal, readers are told not to be fooled.
A note at the end of the book explains the origin of the idea and how it became an international sensation known as Dinovember, the month when plastic dinosaurs come to life.
Librarians will have a blast working with youth to create their own dinosaur adventures in the library. Get out the digital cameras and have some fun!
To enjoy many more plastic dinosaur photos, go to http://dinovember.tumblr.com/ or https://www.facebook.com/dinovember/.
Published by Little Brown, an imprint of Hachette on October 20, 2015. Review copy courtesy of the publisher.
November 8, 2022
What a fun read!! Perhaps my favorite part of this book is the backstory. I love how it came from parents just wanting to enchant their children and sharing their adventures on social media. And now we get to enjoy this whimsical book. As an adult I can't help but imagine the fun it must have been to set up these sets, the amount of detail that goes into each photo is awesome. If I had read this as a kid, I would have went home immediately to check out my toys for signs of life and my parents would have heard "I didn't do it" a lot more often.
I recommend this book to parents with kids, kids with toys, dinosaurs with a mischievous nature, and everyone else in between!
GPL Storytime Goes Online: Miss Laura's Picks
August 5, 2020
Read at Storytime, November 1st
Theme: Dinovember
Read for CuTieS book club November 7, 2022
Theme: Dinovember
I recommend this book to parents with kids, kids with toys, dinosaurs with a mischievous nature, and everyone else in between!
GPL Storytime Goes Online: Miss Laura's Picks
August 5, 2020
Read at Storytime, November 1st
Theme: Dinovember
Read for CuTieS book club November 7, 2022
Theme: Dinovember
Displaying 1 - 30 of 200 reviews