Dinosaur Children’s Books

This hugely popular picture book is part of the ‘Harry and the Dinosaurs’ series.

Harry finds a set of dinosaur toys and claims them for his own. The dinosaurs quickly become beloved and travel everywhere with Harry in his bucket. They soon go everywhere with him, until he loses them! When he encounters their finder, Harry has to prove they are really his.

Any child who has known the magic of imaginative play or felt the heartbreak of a lost toy will find instant appeal in this timeless tale, which was first published over twenty years ago.

This is an utterly charming book about a little Hugasaurus who sets off to play with some new friends for the first time. It goes well… until the other little dinosaurs start to squabble. Can Hugasaurus make everything better using the power of kindness? With fabulous rhyming text, and really sweet, colourful illustrations, this book is perfect for opening up conversations about being kind.

This rhyming text with bright, bold illustrations is great fun to read aloud and after hearing the story once or twice you will find the children joining in with you. The book features different types of dinosaurs (including a handy pronunciation guide!) and is part of a series by the popular picture book author Margaret Mayo.

This is a brilliant picture book describing all the amazing things which could happen if you show a T-Rex a book. It is a love letter to librarians and libraries everywhere, with engaging and vibrant illustrations which leap off the page. A must for reading aloud during class visits and storytime!

Funny, interactive, joyous, imaginative and playful!

Following on from Never Show a T-Rex a Book and Never Teach a Stegosaurus to Do Sums, this latest what-if dinosaur adventure has captured the imaginations of little ones afresh.

The story invites the reader to suppose what could happen if a big fun-loving dinosaur let her artistic side go wild. From crayons and paint to full colour explosions – anything could happen! Young children love the larger-than-life character and can relate to the sheer joyfulness of getting vibrant and messy with art projects. Adults who have ever set foot in an EYFS classroom while the paints are out will find plenty of familiar scenes to smile about too.

Amid the host of dino-themed books available, we especially enjoyed this series. It is refreshing to have a female dinosaur as a lead character, doing something other than marauding after prey!

A super-fun ode to boundless creativity.

From the creator of ‘The Pirates Next Door’ comes a wonderful tale by Jonny Duddle. This version of the book, a special 10 year anniversary edition, includes bonus material to engage and entertain readers. With a natural rhyming flow to each page, speech bubbles and words presented in a way to draw the reader in, the story is a delight for young and old.

You don’t need to be a dinosaur fan to enjoy this book but if you are, the additional features at the end of the story are sure to delight. There are facts about the dinosaurs featured in the book, information about the real dinosaur that the Gigantosaurus was based on as well as a ‘how to draw dinosaurs’ guide.

This is a wonderful, fun book which also has a moral tale to tell with the bonus of detailed illustrations and facts about the dinosaurs.

Oi Dinosaurs! by Kes Gray and Jim Field brings back the beloved Oi Frog and Friends crew for a hilariously rhyming dino-themed adventure. Frog, Cat, and Dog debate what dinosaurs didn’t sit on, leading to comical scenarios like Pterosaurs avoiding bendy straws. It’s a guaranteed giggle-fest for young dinosaur fans.

It’s hard not to be impressed by and amused at the rhymes in this latest addition to a bestselling series – unlike frogs and dogs, dinosaur names are not the easiest words to rhyme with, after all!

Jim Field’s vibrant illustrations perfectly capture the joyful silliness. This book is ideal for shared reading with little ones, offering laugh-out-loud fun and encouraging a love for language.

We highly recommend DK’s ‘My Very Important Encyclopedia’ series, which also features volumes on animals, oceans and sport. It is not easy to find comprehensive non-fiction books that are suitable for the younger age range, but the spacious pages, simplified text and high ratio of images (both photographs and illustrations) make this a brilliant choice for Early Years Foundation Stage and Key Stage 1 children.

Each page features a different dinosaur or dino-themed word or topic (like fossils or carnivores) and there is a handy pronunciation guide to less well-known words or dinosaur names. It feels like a real encyclopedia but is perfectly pitched for the youngest readers without having any overwhelming chunks of text or overly complicated diagrams.

This absolutely super young non-fiction book will become a go-to for dinosaur-loving children who are curious to learn more.

A substantial hardback (like the Tyrannosaurus!), beautifully illustrated in full colour to inform about and celebrate dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes. The flamingo-pink endpapers are decorated with a riot of dinosaur characters waiting to be discovered. The contents page lists the eight main dinosaurs chosen to be represented in prehistoric poems: an unusual mix of non-fiction and poetry. Followed by ten more in the ‘eat, or be eaten’ section. Then we have a section on the main dinosaur families. We like the handy pronunciation guide that accompanies each header, eg, her-air-ruh-saw-rus.

There is much to interest both children and adults in this dinosaur-themed book. We particularly liked learning about the dinosaur timeline, which starts, ‘a really, really, really long time ago…’ and brings us up to date with a double-page spread about finding fossils.

A rare and interesting specimen of a book, recommended for all dinosaur lovers, to be treasured and read over and over again.

Caryl Hart’s ‘Meet the Dinosaurs’ is more than just a dinosaur picture book. She has a wonderful talent for writing a rhyming narrative that weaves in facts seamlessly. In this book, readers can learn about the appearance, diet and behaviours of a range of well-known dinosaurs with a non-fiction narrative that is great fun to read aloud in EYFS.

The book is perfect for promoting children’s vocabulary and language skills. With eye-catching and vibrant illustrations from the amazing Bethany Woollvin, ‘Meet the Dinosaurs’ is a must-read for parents and educators alike.

Dig Dig Dinosaur is a clever book that shows children the skeleton of dinosaurs before giving more information about the prehistoric creature on the next page.

The book features a range of vocabulary linked to the topic with clear illustrations to help understanding. Peep-through holes on the pages add curiosity whilst reading. The final section with the fold-out pages adds an extra feature that children will love.

An added feature of this text is the ‘Stories Aloud’ aspect where you can scan the QR code for a free audio reading of the book.

This is a great book to explore fossil-hunting and knowledge about dinosaurs.