Dinosaur Countdown (edition 2012)

Canadian children's author and artist Nicholas Oldland, whose series of picture-books about a group of woodland friends - Big Bear Hug, Making the Moose Out of Life, The Busy Beaver - are a hilarious triumph, turns in this latest venture to the field of paleontology, and to the world of counting books. Beginning with the number ten and counting down, the book presents a number of different dinosaur types - ten striding velociraptors, nine lazing deinosuchus, etc. - on each two-page spread. The book concludes with zero, and a little lesson about dinosaurs being extinct.

Having greatly enjoyed Oldland's first three books, I was quite excited to discover that he had a fourth in the offing, and having waited eagerly for my library system to obtain it, checked it out as soon as possible. Truthfully, and perhaps unfairly, I was a bit disappointed. I think I was expecting something a little more akin to the other books, in the way of offbeat humor, even though I went in knowing that it wasn't a storybook. That said, there is absolutely nothing wrong with Dinosaur Countdown: it is an engaging enough counting book, focusing on a theme that many young children will find appealing, and featuring artwork this is quite fun. I enjoyed the different decorative designs - stripes, polka-dots - used for the different dinosaurs. Recommended to young dinosaur lovers in the market for counting books, and to fans of Oldland's artwork. ( )

Appealingly maniacal dinosaurs count themselves down, culminating in a creepy, skeletal zero. Teaches a valuable skill while at the same time planting the seeds of doubt about the fragility of life on earth. WELL DONE. ( )

I read Dinosaur Countdown by Nicolas Oldland, in exchange for review from Netgalley.com. The book was published by Kids Can Press. The book taught kids how to count backwards from 10 to 1, using dinosaurs as visuals. The book as a simple format/layout. White background with dinosaurs in the foreground. Love this book. read it to my boys.

http://www.cozylittlebookjournal.com/2012/11/dinosaur-countdown-by-nicholas-oldl...
This preschool counting book satisfied the dinosaur lovers in my family! The pictures are delightful (and, according to my resident dinosaur expert, accurate enough to pass muster) and the countdown rhyme is very cute. My favourite thing, though, is that it includes zero. Not enough counting books include zero! It shows dinosaur bones with "zero dinosaurs" because they're extinct, silly. Love it!

Disclaimer: I received a digital galley of this book free from the publisher from NetGalley. I was not obliged to write a favourable review, or even any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own. ( )

Clear simple illustrations make it easy for dinosaur lovers to identify the dinosaurs in this counting book. There’s a pronunciation guide at the end helps for those who find dinosaur names to be tongue twisters. The adjectives used to describe each dinosaur are perfect, giving personality to each type. And of course the end “none” has a dinosaur skeleton, because “they’re extinct, silly.” This is a great book to share with preschoolers. ( )