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Tiny Dino
Did you know dinosaurs still roam the earth?
A small but mighty bird declares it is a dinosaur! But no one believes that dinosaurs still exist. How can it be a dinosaur when it is so little? Dinosaurs didn’t have feathers . . . or did they? This tiny dino is here to explain to its animal friends that birds are, in fact, dinosaurs, and all creatures are connected to one big animal family. With a playful ensemble of animal characters and dynamic bursts of dialogue, celebrated author and illustrator Deborah Freedman has created a spirited and informative picture book for dinosaur lovers of all ages.
A small but mighty bird declares it is a dinosaur! But no one believes that dinosaurs still exist. How can it be a dinosaur when it is so little? Dinosaurs didn’t have feathers . . . or did they? This tiny dino is here to explain to its animal friends that birds are, in fact, dinosaurs, and all creatures are connected to one big animal family. With a playful ensemble of animal characters and dynamic bursts of dialogue, celebrated author and illustrator Deborah Freedman has created a spirited and informative picture book for dinosaur lovers of all ages.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published April 19, 2022
1 person is currently reading
101 people want to read
About the author
Deborah Freedman
14 books209 followersOnce upon a time, I was an architect. But now I'd much rather build worlds in books. :)
I am the author and illustrator of 12 of them, featuring protagonists that include an earthworm searching for its purpose in life, a house that dreams of its origins, and a character that is almost too shy to appear in its own book.
My stories have been translated into ten different languages, adopted in classrooms across the country, and honored with many starred reviews and awards. I live in a colorful house in Connecticut, where I'm always busy at work on my next books.
I love reading books and telling you about them; I hate rating them! Let's just say that if I didn't like a book, it isn't here at all.
Website: www.deborahfreedman.net
—with tons of free resources for readers, and a sign-up for my eNewsletter
Bluesky: @DeborahFreedman.net
Facebook: Deborah Freedman, Author & Illustrator
Instagram, Threads: @FreedmanIllustrates
—stop by and say hi!
I am the author and illustrator of 12 of them, featuring protagonists that include an earthworm searching for its purpose in life, a house that dreams of its origins, and a character that is almost too shy to appear in its own book.
My stories have been translated into ten different languages, adopted in classrooms across the country, and honored with many starred reviews and awards. I live in a colorful house in Connecticut, where I'm always busy at work on my next books.
I love reading books and telling you about them; I hate rating them! Let's just say that if I didn't like a book, it isn't here at all.
Website: www.deborahfreedman.net
—with tons of free resources for readers, and a sign-up for my eNewsletter
Bluesky: @DeborahFreedman.net
Facebook: Deborah Freedman, Author & Illustrator
Instagram, Threads: @FreedmanIllustrates
—stop by and say hi!
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Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews
May 23, 2022
Do dinosaurs still roam the earth? Deborah Freedman’s Tiny Dino says, yes!
Our little bird hero is trying to convince frog, turtle, readers, and more that birds are actually dinosaurs. Toes, bones, scales, and feathers all come into play. Like did you know that the big, mighty T. Rex had hollow bones? I didn’t! And guess what? Birds have hollow bones too! SOOO are birds dinosaurs? Come and see! This fun, fierce debate is full of facts and connectedness.
Most pages are splashed with soft colors and sweet faces, but one or two let the white space shine and speak. The shadows of the past and different animal facts are woven into the art and dialogue perfectly. This beautiful book shows readers just how connected different animals are. How connected we all are!
Be sure to check out the back end-papers. It’s my favorite illustration in the book.
Highly recommended.
September 11, 2022
This is going to be a great book to talk about comparisons in the animal kingdom. And the voices will be fun to make as well.
May 26, 2022
Yay for science! A little hummingbird tells it's other animal friend how it is related to the dinosaurs, and all the physical similarities. Super interesting and very conversational with sweet illustrations (the squatty little crocodile is very cute!).
June 2, 2022
Love this informational fiction picture book, where a young hummingbird sings to the world about how she is a dinosaur - a tiny dinosaur, who is also so, so, so fierce! And related to crocodiles - they're cousins!
September 25, 2024
The art here is exquisite and remembering the tiny dinos among us is always fun. I'm giving it 5 starts despite being tired of everyone acting like we can possibly know so many things about dinosaurs.
July 26, 2022
4.5 stars. Not only will the kids love this book, but it is a great complement to Dinosaurs Are Not Extinct: Real Facts about Real Dinosaurs by Drew Sheneman. This fiction picture book explains why a hummingbird is really a tiny dinosaur based on it's physical characterists, four toes, three forward facing, hollow bones, scales and feathers. It explains the relationship with an easy to read tree at the end of the book. Really adorable, yet solid information. The illustrations are stunning watercolors.
May 10, 2023
Who would think that tiny dinos still roam the Earth? They do, in fact. This cleverly illustrated book shows how birds, even little hummingbirds, are ancestors of dinosaurs and the qualities they have in common. This is told and shown in a way that even the youngest readers can understand. I also laughed when the crocodile made his appearance.
April 20, 2022
A beautifully illustrated picture book. I enjoyed the scientific facts that I feel like young readers do not know about the dinosaurs. So glad I added this amazing picture book to my library collection.
April 28, 2022
Don't read this one too quickly or you'll miss the fascinating details!
May 17, 2022
New favorite picture book.
May 24, 2022
Loved it!
July 16, 2022
This is so cool! BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
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June 3, 2022This is a gem, equally at home on a school shelf or a home library. My 6yo loved that he could sound out many of the words and wasn't intimidated by the amount of text on each page. (I read the sidebars for him.) He's very into both birds and dinosaurs, so the science behind this story wasn't actually new to him--but he loved the little bird and thought the story was hilarious.
And of course if you're not already familiar with Deborah Freedman's lovely art, you need to be.
(I recently decided to make it my policy not to give star ratings to books by authors and illustrators who are personal friends, so that's the only reason I'm abstaining here....)
And of course if you're not already familiar with Deborah Freedman's lovely art, you need to be.
(I recently decided to make it my policy not to give star ratings to books by authors and illustrators who are personal friends, so that's the only reason I'm abstaining here....)
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December 11, 2022See my full review here: https://www.yabookscentral.com/tiny-d...
TINY DINO is a clever picture book about the dinosaurs that still roam the earth - birds and reptiles. Told in dialogue between animals, it presents the similarities between dinosaurs and their descendants. The story also includes relevant facts about key features of dinosaurs that can be seen in birds and reptiles, such as about scales/feathers, hollow bones, and the arrangement of toes.
What I loved: This features really lovely illustrations with water color effects that enhance the simplicity of the story. The dialogue back and forth between the animals works well to give the facts in a fun way. Additional details are included in smaller font on each page in case readers want to learn more about the arguments the hummingbird is making.
The text is large and easy to read on each page with a great use of color to enhance the dialogue and feelings throughout the book. Children who like dinosaurs will enjoy learning about birds and reptiles and the ways they compare.
Final verdict: A lovely and educational read, TINY DINO celebrates the dinosaurs among us today. Recommend for young dinosaur lovers who will enjoy the dialogue that teaches facts about dinos that lives on in animals today.
TINY DINO is a clever picture book about the dinosaurs that still roam the earth - birds and reptiles. Told in dialogue between animals, it presents the similarities between dinosaurs and their descendants. The story also includes relevant facts about key features of dinosaurs that can be seen in birds and reptiles, such as about scales/feathers, hollow bones, and the arrangement of toes.
What I loved: This features really lovely illustrations with water color effects that enhance the simplicity of the story. The dialogue back and forth between the animals works well to give the facts in a fun way. Additional details are included in smaller font on each page in case readers want to learn more about the arguments the hummingbird is making.
The text is large and easy to read on each page with a great use of color to enhance the dialogue and feelings throughout the book. Children who like dinosaurs will enjoy learning about birds and reptiles and the ways they compare.
Final verdict: A lovely and educational read, TINY DINO celebrates the dinosaurs among us today. Recommend for young dinosaur lovers who will enjoy the dialogue that teaches facts about dinos that lives on in animals today.
April 19, 2022
I got the distinct pleasure of being able to celebrate the book birthday of Tiny Dino with my second graders and the author herself! She read the book (which is so very wonderful) and answered so many questions my kiddos had. Tiny Dino is a sweet story about a hummingbird who realizes the connection between the life of a bird and the connected evolution with dinosaurs. Deborah sprinkles bits of non-fiction facts throughout the story making it a delight for fans of both fiction and nonfiction. Loved this story!
November 16, 2022
This is one of my favorite dinosaur picturebooks ever for early elementary. Kids will crack up at the comparisons while they learn how birds evolved.
December 17, 2022
5 stars for this beautifully illustrated title that draws the connection between dinosaurs and birds and show the family tree
March 8, 2023
A beautiful, fun book filled with gorgeous illustrations and a delightful central character of this "tiny dino," who ultimately persuades fellow creatures that indeed it IS possible to be a dino in our present world!
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April 28, 2022This book is cute! Freedman is so good at drawing animals, and I was glad to see frog back in another book! The hummingbird is beautiful and really standing up for herself. It has some facts, too, hidden among the pages, not taking away from the story.
May 16, 2022
4.5 A delightful book! Great for a read-aloud. Can also serve as an introduction to animal taxonomy. Current day illustrations are in color while dino illustrations are white line or light blue line sketches. Additional facts are in text boxes, and use a different font.
Recommend for school library purchase
Recommend for school library purchase
October 26, 2022
I love, love, love this book. A little hummingbird tries to tell other animals that, yes, he is a dinosaur! But they don't believe it. It does a great job of comparing present-day animals with dinosaurs. I will definitely be using this book somehow!
February 20, 2022
I always love the whimsical style of Deborah Freedman's art, & now it's combined with a delightful story in which a TINY DINO teaches about animals from the dinosaur family tree that still roam the earth.
Sure to delight dino fans in your life with the facts about dinosaurs, this informational book will be a joy to share with kids of all ages. Similar to Carl and the Meaning of Life, it teaches about animals while also entertaining on a beautiful watercolor backdrop.
Sure to delight dino fans in your life with the facts about dinosaurs, this informational book will be a joy to share with kids of all ages. Similar to Carl and the Meaning of Life, it teaches about animals while also entertaining on a beautiful watercolor backdrop.
May 14, 2022
This book was such a cute, factual picture book! I love Tiny Dinosaur and all the fun dino facts this book brought me. I was honestly unaware how closely related birds and crocodiles are! Perfect for anyone who thinks dinosaurs are interesting and wants to learn a bit more about the dinosaurs that used to roam the Earth, and maybe some that still do! The watercolor illustrations in this book are gorgeous, and I had fun finding all the tidbits of information hidden throughout!
December 20, 2022
This is a fantastic book that totally captures hummingbird attitude *and* covers the evolutionary history of birds, dinosaurs, crocodiles, and other reptiles.
January 12, 2024
This was the cutest book I’ve read about how dinosaurs evolved into birds.
May 12, 2023
Cute and informative! Great for young readers (especially those who love dinos) and story time! I would definitely recommend this book.
March 25, 2024
Cool facts, short read, absolutely LOVED the illustrations!
February 8, 2023
The illustrations are sublime.
March 7, 2024
So cute! My kiddos were fascinated by the little hummingbird insisting it was a dinosaur - great conversation starter! Recommended!
June 29, 2022
Fun to read! Full of research and reason! Highly recommend to anyone looking to introduce littles to dinosaurs.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 69 reviews