Detective Dinosaur: A Hilarious Mystery Adventure About a Comically Clueless Detective for Kids (Ages 4-8)

Detective Dinosaur

by James Skofield, R.W. Alley (Illustrator)

All in a day's work!

First, Detective Dinosaur solves the mystery of the missing hat. Then he cracks the case of the squeaky shoe. Then he goes on night patrol, and spots a scary shadow in a dark alley. Can it be a monster? Help Detective Dinosaur follow the clues and find out!

Genres: Childrens, Dinosaurs, Mystery, Picture Books, Fiction, Animals, Humor

48 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1996

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three more great stories with Detective Dinosaur at the helm:

1) The Case of the Missing Hat
Detective Dinosaur is in a panic when he cannot find his hat. He looks everywhere, to no avail. Even after he's sent to the Office of Missing Hats, it is gone. A colleague makes an astute observation, which could turn the case on its head, literally!

2) The Case of the Squeaking Shoe
When Detective Dinosaur discovers that he has a squeaky shoe, he does all in his power to rid himself of the annoyance. However, it is only after a brief song that he gets to the bottom of the entire issue.

3) Night Patrol
While on night patrol, Detective Dinosaur comes across a massive shadow with an equally loud noise. Worried, Detective Dinosaur rushes into action to discover who or what might be lurking in the shadows late at night!

Neo have come to really enjoy these books and they make for cute stories. While reading is geared for 6-9 years of age, younger dino lovers would surely like to have family or friends read these to them.

[Rachel B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've read this to my nephews (ages 5 and 7) every night for three nights running, and they're still not sick of it. They especially love the first story and its clever illustrations.

This was one of my brother's favorites as a kid, so it's fun to see it being enjoyed just as much by a second generation.

[Emerson and Theodore · Rating 5 out of 5]

3 chapters of a T-Rex named detective dinosaur and a police chief sidekick make this chapter book a page turner for 6 year old and 3 year old alike.

[midnightfaerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A great level 2 reader's book that introduces chapters into the reading mix. The stories were great fun for my 5 yr old, this was today's pick for him to read out loud, however, pronouncing the dinosaur's were very difficult and even though they were repeated over and over again, we only managed to master a few by the end of the book. Still, he enjoyed it and learned new words, so it was a good choice for today.

[Modboy · Rating 2 out of 5]

My son seems to like the three stories in this book far more than I do. He's 3.5 years old and this is designed for 1st to 3rd grade readers. Since it's for beginner readers the story-telling style can be tiresome to read aloud as personal pronouns and contractions are not used. The art is nice and I can see how the stories may be satisfying for the appropriate age group.

[Anna Nesterovich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a sweet little book. There are three stories inside and each one is from somewhere else, but with a dinosaur twist and simple words. I can't even recall where this one originated: "We should call the police!" "We are the police, sir"

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A delightful children's book about dinosaurs one the police force solving a crime. It features dinosaurs with human emotion and logic as well as many colorful drawings. Appropriate for ages 3-8. There is also a pronunciation key for the four species mentioned in the stories.

[Rosa Cline · Rating 4 out of 5]

wonderful story to introduce young readers to their first mysteries. Not scary but fun mysteries that they can help solve as you-they read the story. Four different dinosaurs are the main characters one is a detective and he's super silly (like loosing his hat when it's on his head) the other is his partner that is down to earth and just goes with the flow of things and helps him to find and figures out things. Fun book.

[Brenda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute book about a dinosaur detective and his adventures. I suppose it is geared towards elementary school age kids, but I was reading it to younger kids. Therefore, I felt it was too long and didn’t really hold their attention. However, I still feel like the stories in this book were adorable and even funny, which is why I gave it four stars.

[Zihao Zhang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both my son and I like this book. It has many funny parts. Our detective looks silly in the book, but didn’t we adults also behave like him occasionally?

BTW, my son loves dinosaurs, so these dinosaurs’ names weren’t a problem for him.

[The Unabridged Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

My little one (2yo) loves this book. One of the stories is never enough. He waves his chubby hands in the air and pleads “Again! Again!” no matter how many bedtime stories he’s had. This one is always a favorite and he never gets tired of it. High praise from such a little guy.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

Detective Dinosaur and his partner Officer Pterodactyl put their heads together to solve the mystery of missing hat, the case of the squeaking shoe, and investigates a mysterious shadow lurking in an alley while working the night shift.

[Esmeralda Chaidez · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think this would be a cute book to read. When teaching math you can use mystery books as an example of problem solving.you will provide a student with a problem and they will have to solve it showing their step by step process!

[Kali · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and silly tales about a (rather inept, but in a fun way) dinosaur detective and the unusual cases he solves with his pterodactyl sidekick. R.W. Alley's artwork is bright and engaging, bringing the enjoyment level up.

[Lannisterrrn · Rating 4 out of 5]

My son’s guffaws made up for the fact that this one was a little awkward to read out loud. The illustrations were great.

[Lauren · Rating 3 out of 5]

Both kids have been on a dinosaur kick for months, hence our foray into a Detective Dinosaur series

[Elsbeth Magilton · Rating 5 out of 5]

This goofy little learn-to-read book was just perfect for my first grader. He kept giggling at Dinosaur Detective and the vocabulary was spot on for his reading level.

[Talea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and funny little I Can Read Book about a dinosaur detective that isn’t the sharpest tool in the shed.

[Carolyn Jeziorski · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this while looking for mystery read-alouds for grade three. This is fine, it has the mystery elements, the stories are just short. It would be a good read though for kids below grade level.

[Miriam · Rating 4 out of 5]

My toddler loved a dinosaur detective with their simple, funny mysteries.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just for fun 😆

[Brad Rhoads · Rating 4 out of 5]

the cases had me on the edge of my seat, thank goodness for Detective Dinosaur and Officer Pterodactyl!

[☼Bookish in Virginia☼]

~ from the Library

Skofield's DETECTIVE DINOSAUR is at the high Second Grade reading level. [ Lexile: 330L ]

The book's artwork is done in nice watercolors with expressive characters. What else is nice is that there are 3 separate stories: The Case of the Missing Hat; The Case of the Squeaking Shoe; and Night Patrol. Each story makes for a natural break if you are doing the reading; or gives children some experience with books that have short stories.


There is quite a bit of text in this book. 831 words. The font is large but not the super huge print you find in books for First Graders. Some of the pages have images with a half-page of text, but a few pages are all text. Here is some sample text from a half-page.

Then he put on his shoe
and took a step.
There was no squeak.
"Hooray!" said Detective Dinosaur.
"My shoe is no longer angry!"


I think this is a book that would be fun to read to younger children. The stories are quite silly and the artwork is happy. Be prepared to cringe a bit as the silliness is a bit nonsensical.

There's a lot of dialog, by the way. I know that one of my children went through a phase where they disliked reading dialog. If your own child is like that you might want skip this series, or read it to them.

This book also has the advantage of being part of a series. If your child(ren) like it there are more waiting in the wings to be read.

[Alexander The Triumphant · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is funny when Detective Dinosaur dresses up for undercover at a T. Rex's office. The end is funny when Detective Dinosaur and an officer bought fruit, and Detective Dinosaur saw drops of rain coming down. He told the officer that they must eat the fruit inside. They looked outside and saw that it was funny. And she said, "why don't you try stepping outside." And woosh! A splash of cold water splattered on him and he went back inside. "Oh, sir, you are all wet," said the officer. "I told you it was raining." And they stepped outside and he got all wet again. "Sorry," said a voice. Detective Dinosaur and the officer looked up. And the person who owned the store said, "I didn't mean to water you. I meant to water my flowers." The two friends stepped outside and ate their fruit. -by Alexander

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a really fun cute book for the kindergarten set, who love dinosaurs. It cheerfully introduces children to many interesting situations which all relate to things they have encountered. For parents, it can initiate many learning conversations on a variety of subjects. The wonderful and whimsical color illustrations by R. W. Alley will delight children and adults alike. The book contains three chapters which will allow the parents to chose to read only one if time is short.

[Lisa Overberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Detective Dinosaur loses his hat, has a very squeaky shoe, and hears a very mysterious noise in the alley. He and his friend Officer Pterodactyl work together to solve these silly mysteries. A very fun and silly mystery book great for readers starting on chapter books.






Interest Level: Grades K-2
Grade Level Equivalent: 2.8
Lexile Measure: 330
DRA: Not Available
Guided Reading: J

[Dolly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Although our girls really enjoy reading about dinosaurs, this isn't our favorite dinosaur book. It's about a clumsy Tyrannosaurus Detective and a smart Pterodactyl Officer who team up and solve some fairly innocuous "mysteries," the majority of which highlight the Detective Dinosaur's ineptness. It was an okay story and a quick read, but we won't be rushing to read more of these books.

[Sheila · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moving from the non-fiction genre of reading, we have given the students a base of what dinosaurs were, what they ate, and where they lived. Now, this book is just pure fun and gives the student something stimulating to read. The student has to follow clues and to figure out the mystery. Detective Dinosaur teaches and has a little fun at the same time.

[Librarian40 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Possibly my 5 year old's favorite book. Even I start to laugh when I read it, and in the meantime, my son can read most of it. Detective Dinosaur and his sidekick Officer Pterydactyl (sp?) sorta solve all sorts of ridiculous adventures.

[svfx · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sprout liked this one, and was agreeable about reading one word off of every page. I see here on goodreads that there is a follow-up Detective Dinosaur book which is apparently unavailable through our library. I wonder if the ILL staff would be too put out if I requested it?