This
week I have two adorably ferocious storybooks that have stood the test of time
and have recently been reissued to continue to delight children everywhere.
Dinosaur Roar!
by
Paul Strickland & Henrietta Strickland
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Publication date: 8th January 2019
Pages: 30
RRP: $14.99
Format Read: Paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
About the Book :
A
celebratory edition of this classic book, now twenty-five years old and never
out of print. Produced from re-scanned original artwork, and endorsed by the
National History Museum, this rollicking rhyming text is a joy to read aloud,
and the charming images will appeal to the very youngest dinosaur fans.
Originally
published in 1994, Dinosaur Roar! by
Henrietta and Paul Strickland is now seen as a modern classic, a book that
every preschool child will love.
My thoughts:
Dinosaur Roar! immediately
catches the eye with its striking silver foil cover. It features a fiercely roaring
T-Rex with a small dinosaur looking suitably unimpressed. Inside is a double
spread with all sorts of dinosaurs to feast your eyes on; every shape, colour and
size imaginable.
The
wording is simple and kept to a minimum with large text that jumps off the
page. The illustrations are vibrant and whimsical, with emphasis on each
dinosaurs features and expressions bringing them to life on the page.
Both
Dot and Ditto are enthusiastic dinosaur fans and are eager to have the book
read over and over, each reading being an educational experience with the use
of opposites in the text and a natural cadence in the rhyming of words. Dot
quickly learnt what was to come next and enjoyed joining in.
I
had to include Ditto’s favourite page. He is enthralled by this slimy dinosaur
and keeps turning back to look at and touch this page over and over.
The
Dinosaurs may be different in many ways but they all come together at the end.
At
the back of the book is a gorgeous pull-out poster, featuring all the dinosaurs
in their colourful glory, which can be framed and would delight any toddler.
This
book is now ready to be discovered by a whole new generation.
Rated by Dot & Jay 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ten Terrible Dinosaurs
by
Paul Strickland
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Publication date: 8th January 2019
Pages: 48
RRP: $14.99
Format Read: Paperback
Source: Courtesy of the publisher
About the book:
Ten Terrible Dinosaurs, a
lively counting book first published in 1997 and now reissued, is based on the
characters from Dinosaur Roar!, a
picture book that is now recognised as a modern classic. The rhyming text
encourages children to join in, helping them to learn their numbers as they
count down from ten to one.
My thoughts:
Once
again Paul Strickland’s dinosaurs have come out to delight young dinosaur fans
with a rip roaring counting book. The front cover features our ten terrible
dinosaurs, who are in fact happy, smiling dinosaurs and look like they are
ready to have some fun.
Strickland
uses the tried and true method of rhyming verse in this educational and fun
counting book. Starting at ten with a large number 10 in digits at the start of
the text, the ten terrible dinosaurs are standing in a line.
The
watercolour illustrations are bright and whimsical, but as we know dinosaurs can
be cheeky and they soon begin to mess around. It gets a bit rough and one poor
dinosaur is scared so leaves. When the page is turned the number 9 is shown in
digits first and then the text.
This
book was another hit here. I really don’t think the children will ever tire of
playing with, looking at and reading about dinosaurs.
I
liked that the numbers were in digits and text side by side which gives a
visual connection of the two.
Strickland’s
use of alliteration and rhyming adds an extra element of fun to the reading and
listening.
We
had seven silly dinosaurs, five feisty dinosaurs and two tetchy dinosaurs. The
book ends with a sneaky loud ROAR! Those dinosaurs really are tricky.
Ten Terrible Dinosaurs is a
book that has been loved for the past two decades and is sure to be loved for
decades to come.
Reissued
in association with the Natural History Museum making these books true children’s
classics.
Rated by Dot & Jay 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
About the authors:
Paul Strickland is an illustrator, author and pop-up book engineer. Since leaving school he has had a long illustrious career with his drawings and illustrations, working on many different projects but he is best known for his work in children's books, most notably as the illustrator of the modern classic Dinosaur Roar! He lives in Dorset with his wife and young daughter.
Henrietta Strickland has been creating children's books for thirty years, both as an author and also as a publisher specializing in new writers and illustrators. She lives on the Somerset/Dorset border with her four sons and a menagerie of animals.
