Let's Talk Books Again!

There Were Dinosaurs Everywhere
by
Howard Temperly...illustrated by Micael Kline

My "in a nutshell" summary...

Hey everyone!!! This is a delightful colorful lively fun entertaining rhyming beautifully illustrated book about dinosaurs!

My thoughts after reading this book...

I knew from the moment I opened and smelled the pages that I would love this book. It smelled like a picture book should smell. It is just the right size for little hands and the rhyming was fun and easy to follow. It is a great book for a primary classroom and a great book to have at home. It is the kind of book that can be picked up and read over and over again. And...because of the way it is written there is no need to always start at the beginning. I know that your favorite child will eventually have favorite Dino poems...the only problem with that is that the rhymes might never leave your head!
As a teacher...I see the many varied teachable moments that this book can provide in a classroom. Poems can be reprinted on chart paper and hung around the classroom. Young learners can find the words that rhyme as well as learn about dinosaurs. The rhymes in this book are just a little stepping stone to a wealth of activities.
This book explains much of what you might want to know about dinosaurs...but with a unique sense of humor! I loved the order of the book...the categories...we meet early dinosaurs and flying ones and dinosaurs at sea. We learn what they ate, how they lived, what their brains did and why they died. The pronunciations are there for children to see and to help the reader, too! The book was perfectly organized!

What I loved about this book...

OMG...the clever not so realistic illustrations...loved them...one of my faves? You will have to picture this...a poem about DESMATOSUCHUS...the plant eating reptile that left the sea to breathe air and was responsible for starting everything! The author has beautifully written about Lady GaGa, Shakespeare, Dickens and J.K. Rowling in this rhyme. I loved the combined humor and knowledge in this book.

What I didn't love...

Hmmm...I loved it all! I reread poems I loved them so much! They were too funny!

Final thoughts...

A funny exciting book filled with poems about everything related to dinosaurs...probably best suited to primary aged children. This book would be an awesome book to give to any dinosaur loving kid that you know!

One of my favorite poems...

SCUTOSAURUS

This scutosaur is a sorry sight,
I do not think it sleeps at night.
Its belly sags, its skin is slack,
It has a mountain on its back.
It looks as if its life's a bore.
I'm glad I'm not a dinosaur.


Just a few of the arresting illustrations!