Dinosuar Starts School

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Edwards, Pamela Duncan. 2008. Dinosaur Starts School. Illus. by Deborah Allwright. Morton Grove, Ill: Albert Whitman & Company. ISBN: 9780807516003.

BOOK REVIEW
It's the first day of school and Dinosaur, a bright orangey-red Stegosaurus, is full of worry and doesn't want to go. However, his little human companion offers him reassurance. The story is cleverly written through a series of "What if..." questions like "What if you were painting pictures of the sun but Dinosaur made a big mess? What if his bight dinosaur eyes filled with tears and he began to cry?" and "What if it was time for lunch but Dinosaur said in his worried dinosaur voice, 'They might give us something yucky to eat.'" All the while, his friend offers answers to all the questions and makes Dinosaur at ease until they meet new friends another boy with a Triceratops who also are struggling with the first day of school. The illustrations are colorful and charming. All the children wear an array fun, retro style clothes and are an mixture of skin tones and hair styles (the young friend of dinosaur has a cool up-swoop hairdo). The pages are filled with color and action that will equally entertain the readers. This is an endearing story of the first-day-of-school jitters that many children will relate to, especially to those who love dinosaurs or have an imaginary animal friend. This is a must for all public and school libraries and is perfect for a storytime.

CONNECTION
*Ask the children if they had a dinosaur who started school, what would you tell them if they were scared? What type of dinosaur would it be?
*Do a dinosaur craft.
*Other stories about going to school like Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes and How do Dinosaurs Go to School? by Jane Yolen and illus. by Mark Teague.