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Dinosaur Dinner
For the first time, the poetry of Dennis Lee, the Pied Piper of children's verse, has been collected in one rousing volume by the inimitable Jack Prelutsky. From food fantasies to schoolyard chants and monster mayhem, Lee really knows how to tickle kids with words. There are quiet poems, rude and rambunctious poems, and some pure nonsense verses that trip off the tongue, begging to be said over and over again. Others capture the attraction of a muddy puddle or the somnolent rhythm of windshield wipers on a rainy day. There's something for everyone in this wonderful collection of read-aloud or read-alone rhymes and Debbie Tilley's (Riddle-icious) buoyant imaginative watercolors are an open invitation to jump in and join the fun.
30 pages, Hardcover
First published March 19, 1997
About the author
Dennis Lee
122 books51 followersDennis Beynon Lee, OC, MA is a Canadian poet and thinker who lives in Toronto, Ontario. He is also a children's writer.
After attending high school at the University of Toronto Schools, Lee received bachelor's and master's degrees in English from the University of Toronto. He is best known for his children's writings; his most famous work is the rhymed Alligator Pie (1974). He also wrote the lyrics to the theme song of the 1980s television show Fraggle Rock and, with Philip Balsam, many of the other songs for that show. Balsam and Lee also wrote the songs for the television special The Tale of the Bunny Picnic. Lee is co-writer of the story for the film Labyrinth.
After attending high school at the University of Toronto Schools, Lee received bachelor's and master's degrees in English from the University of Toronto. He is best known for his children's writings; his most famous work is the rhymed Alligator Pie (1974). He also wrote the lyrics to the theme song of the 1980s television show Fraggle Rock and, with Philip Balsam, many of the other songs for that show. Balsam and Lee also wrote the songs for the television special The Tale of the Bunny Picnic. Lee is co-writer of the story for the film Labyrinth.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
September 27, 2017
This book was filled with many different poems so it had many different themes. I liked the lengths of all the poems, they were short enough to keep children interested but not too complicated. I probably wouldn’t read all of then out loud all at once, but I could read one to pass time or use as a behavior management tool.
December 5, 2017
This book of poetry is the perfect tool to encourage young readers to read and enjoy poetry. The poems cover different subjects that elementary students would enjoy in an easy to read format.
November 27, 2018
This book is funny and contains many poems that are meant to make you laugh. They are drawn very well and they poems are nice.
January 14, 2019
I thought that this book was great. Each poem was fun to read and the pictures were very fun and creative. I think this book would be great for kids in grades 1st-3rd.
September 10, 2019
I gave this book a 5 star because I like children's poem picture books.
Dinosaur Dinner (With a Slice of Alligator Pie) is about different dinosaurs who eat dinner in different places. It describes what happens in poem form. They eat a slice of pie with children.
Dinosaur Dinner (With a Slice of Alligator Pie) is about different dinosaurs who eat dinner in different places. It describes what happens in poem form. They eat a slice of pie with children.
October 6, 2012
Summary: Dinosaur Dinner is a collection of all sorts of random poems by Dennis Lee. Most of them are silly poems with funny descriptions about all sorts of experiences. Some poems are about monsters, and some are about people. The pictures associated with the poems make the book that much more enjoyable to read.
Response: I feel like this book of poems would be really enjoyable for students to read. They are so silly that this would catch their interest right away. Not only can it be entertaining for them to read or have read to them, but they are learning about rhyming. They are poems that any age group can enjoy.
The meaning this book holds for me is that children need to be able to read something absolutely silly to learn from it. I feel like students need to look at a silly poem to spark their interest in it. They can realize that learning poetry does not have to be boring, but it can be fun.
Classroom Connection: Have students create their own silly and creative poems. They can also make pictures to go along with the poem they are creating. It does not have to be serious, just as long as it rhymes, they can write a poem just like Dennis Lee. They can also look into more Dennis Lee poetry and read more of his books.
Text Complexity: This book has an unknown lexile and the interest levels are grades K through 2 and a Guided Reading level P.
Response: I feel like this book of poems would be really enjoyable for students to read. They are so silly that this would catch their interest right away. Not only can it be entertaining for them to read or have read to them, but they are learning about rhyming. They are poems that any age group can enjoy.
The meaning this book holds for me is that children need to be able to read something absolutely silly to learn from it. I feel like students need to look at a silly poem to spark their interest in it. They can realize that learning poetry does not have to be boring, but it can be fun.
Classroom Connection: Have students create their own silly and creative poems. They can also make pictures to go along with the poem they are creating. It does not have to be serious, just as long as it rhymes, they can write a poem just like Dennis Lee. They can also look into more Dennis Lee poetry and read more of his books.
Text Complexity: This book has an unknown lexile and the interest levels are grades K through 2 and a Guided Reading level P.
April 18, 2013
This collection of poems by Dennis Lee is fun and cute way to introduce students to poetry. Some of the poems are very short for example, Tony Baloney. A four line poem about Tony Baloney lying is humorous and to the point. The Muddy Puddle is a little bit of a longer poem with many tongue twisters. Mrs. Mitchell's Underwear is my favorite poem in this story. Mrs. Mitchell's underwear is dancing on the clothes line which is embarrassing Mrs. Mitchell. This short poem made me laugh out loud. Students will enjoy the humor and be able to learn about rhyming. I would use this book in early elementary classrooms, 2nd grade or below. Introducing poetry to students in this fun, light humored way will spark their interest for poetry and hopefully encourage them to learn more about poetry.
Here is the blurb:
This collection of humorous poems, selected by Jack Prelutsky, deal with a variety of subjects.
Here is the blurb:
This collection of humorous poems, selected by Jack Prelutsky, deal with a variety of subjects.
January 25, 2013
Mommy's review from 12/5/11 -
I'm not a fan of mindless poems, no matter who they're written for. There are too many words for someone to write such mindless drivel. A poem can have no purpose and still be fun yet at least make a little sense.
This is what Julia took out from her school library last week and we read it a few nights ago. Needless to say, I wasn't impressed. One or two of the poems were *okay* but most weren't anything to speak of. Here's one:
Anna Banana -
Anna Banana, jump into the stew:
Gravy and carrots are good for you.
Good for your teeth,
And your fingernails too,
So Anna Banana, jump into the stew!
Yeah. Well, thanks for that. I'll pass.
I'm giving it two stars because it evoked a few chuckles from my daughter and we did think one or two were okay, like I said above. No other reason and I definitely do NOT recommend.
I'm not a fan of mindless poems, no matter who they're written for. There are too many words for someone to write such mindless drivel. A poem can have no purpose and still be fun yet at least make a little sense.
This is what Julia took out from her school library last week and we read it a few nights ago. Needless to say, I wasn't impressed. One or two of the poems were *okay* but most weren't anything to speak of. Here's one:
Anna Banana -
Anna Banana, jump into the stew:
Gravy and carrots are good for you.
Good for your teeth,
And your fingernails too,
So Anna Banana, jump into the stew!
Yeah. Well, thanks for that. I'll pass.
I'm giving it two stars because it evoked a few chuckles from my daughter and we did think one or two were okay, like I said above. No other reason and I definitely do NOT recommend.
June 4, 2014
Summary: This book is a collection of poems all with animals and people. Some of the poems are simile and other more complex.
Evaluation: This type of book would be great as an introduction to poetry because it has examples of a wide range of poem structures.
Grade Level: K-2
Publication Year: 1997
Discussion Points:
You could choose one or two poems a day and read them to the class and discuss the differences between the different poems. You could also have the students pick out key features of poetry in each poem.
Evaluation: This type of book would be great as an introduction to poetry because it has examples of a wide range of poem structures.
Grade Level: K-2
Publication Year: 1997
Discussion Points:
You could choose one or two poems a day and read them to the class and discuss the differences between the different poems. You could also have the students pick out key features of poetry in each poem.
February 25, 2016
I was first drawn to the comical illustrations, and I think young children would be too. They are colorful and cheerful and make you want to read the story revealed in the short poems. The sounds of the poems carry a lot of rhyme and alliteration and made me want to read them more than once. Young children would enjoy comparing the illustrations and the verses, most of which are from a young child's perspective.
October 11, 2012
This is a great anthology of humorous poems that focus on reptilian entrees. There are many poems on one page and it would be difficult to find a particular poem you were looking for unless you knew the page number. However, the illustrations and poetic techniques make reading this book fun and educational for young readers.
October 10, 2012
This poetry book has a wide selection of themes and can be used for a wide variety of themed lessons. The illustrations are done well but the poems are not organized or written in categories which makes it confusing.
April 22, 2014
This is also a good book to show children different types of poetry. They are funny poems that incorporate animals in some of them. This would be a good book to have a child read that isn't as interested in reading as others.
January 15, 2015
Wanted to like this since finding fun kids poetry is always a goals but...first poem is about brontosaurus. That's not a real dinosaur! It makes me crazy. 5 seconds of research is all that's needed. Also a lot of poems in the middle were schoolyard mean. Not impressed.
July 15, 2015
Probably one of my favorite Jack Prelutsky books. The poems and illustrations were absolutely adorable. I was slightly reminded of the farside cartoons that I haven't seen in other books by this author.
September 17, 2015
I also read this book with my reading buddy Ryan. It was not the greatest book, just because some of the poems were somewhat senseless. Other than that, the good poems were very enjoyable and exciting. I would recommend this book for lower elementary grades, K-3rd.
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October 9, 2015When discussing poetry, you can use this book to show different types, lengths, sounds, patterns,etc. that are shown throughout. Then the students can create their own poems by themselves or based off of these.
June 19, 2016
Maybe it was just bad timing for me... but I didn't really enjoy this book at all. My nephew was very engaged by the illustrations. But I just didn't care much for the poetry. Probably just not a great match for me.
October 16, 2008
This is great. The pictures are fun; the poems are fun; and the selections really tickled my pre-schooler. I'm going to the Library right now to see if they have more from Dennis Lee!
October 15, 2012
The poems in this books are short, funny, and would be good examples during a poetry lesson. Probably for 2nd and 3rd grades.
October 19, 2012
Fantastic collection of poetry for kids! A lot of different topics, very humorous. I enjoyed this book and would share poems with children of all ages.
November 29, 2012
This book has poems that are short and entertaining for middle elementary students (2nd-3rd grade). Helps children see distinct patterns found in poetry.
December 16, 2012
This is a good book with plenty of poems. An inferring lesson could be done using this book. It would be good for younger students.
November 1, 2013
All of these poems are humorous and fun to read. They are goofy and entertaining for kids. I would use this book in the classroom to introduce poetry because I know it would be a fun place to start!
April 22, 2014
Tiny poem book! Cute, funny and laughable poems for children.
April 25, 2014
This would be a good book to first introduce poetry to children. It is set up in a fun and interesting way and it all revolves around the dinner.
April 25, 2014
Great collection of fun poetry! I like how the poems share pages and illustrations.
November 9, 2014
These poems are short, silly and fun to read aloud with kids. A great collection!
October 15, 2015
Cute book, but didn't hold my daughters interest much other then the poems Dinosaur Dinner and Alligator Pie.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews