Hey citizens of the internet!
How many of you have babies that LOVE dinosaurs?
I mean they’re giants lizards that could eat your whole house. What’s not to love?!
Here are some fun Dino books that are not encyclopedias, but you’ll still learn some Dino lingo.
I wonder how long my extensive knowledge of dinosaur names will last 🧐
DINOSAUR DANCE
Written and illustrated by Sandra Boynton
Sandra is hilarious to me. She is a cartoonist, so her illustrations always have a lot of personality. Her books are usually fairly short which make this an easy and fun one to add on as mommy’s pick for the final bedtime book (mommy’s bedtime picks are usually pretty short).
We have made up our own dances for each of the dinosaurs and the boys love it. I’ll take my cardio any way I can get it!
TINY T. REX AND THE VERY DARK DARK
Written by Jonathan Stutzman
Illustrated by Jay Fleck
Who knew dinosaurs in pj’s could be so dang cute?! This sweet book about a baby T. rex and his pal Stegosaurus conquering their fear of the dark is another great bedtime selection.
The illustrations are colorful and silly. Jay did an awesome job of humanizing the dinosaurs and making them feel like kids even down to their pretend helmets.
T. REX TIME MACHINE
Written and illustrated by Jared Chapman
A graphic novel style picture book about dinosaurs checks all the boxes. It is unique and fun for adults as well as kids - it gives off Back To The Future vibes.
It will also make you crave microwave Cup Noodles so be prepared for that! I was today years old when I discovered it Cup Noodles NOT Cup OF Noodles. Anyone else get that wrong?
HOW DO DINOSAURS GET WELL SOON?
Written by Jane Yolen
Illustrated by Mark Teague
This book is just one of the many books written and illustrated by this duo. A great one for when your little is sick to help them feel comforted and get a laugh in through the boogies.
The illustrations show the dinosaurs acting as kids. The dinos are depicted in real life scale to the humans which shares the massive size of dinosaurs. Scaling them to images your child would recognize in the real world teaches dino facts without them even realizing it! Learning should be play right?
CRUNCH THE SHY DINOSAUR
Written By Cirocco Dunlap
Illustrated by Greg Pizzoli
Comedy writers have such an incredible ability to write entertaining children’s books that adults also love. Cirocco wrote a super fun book that shares it’s ok to take your time when meeting new people. Although I don’t love to label kids as “shy” and share it as more of a feeling than a personality trait, the book has an overall helpful message.
I have no idea how Greg managed to convey so much personality on a dinosaur without a mouth but he did! These illustrations make me want to give Crunch a big hug he’s so cute!
THE WORRYSAURUS
Written By Rachel Bright
Illustrated by Chris Chatterton
The best kind of children’s books are ones that have me reevaluating myself when I close the book. As a bit of a worry-wart myself, this book really spoke to me. It shares practical steps to take when children find themselves in a worry spiral.
The main dinosaur character is just scrumptious! So so so dang cute! The world the illustrator built out around the Dino is adorable as well, especially the butterflies. Great job Chris 👏🏻
What are your favorites?
Another note:
Three of these books came from a free program at our local library! It was SO awesome before the boys started school and introduced us to a lot of awesome literature.
Books