Danny and the Dinosaur (1958)

I grew up reading Syd Hoff's Danny and the Dinosaur, a beginning reader originally published in 1958 as part of the prestigious I Can Read series, and have many fond memories of Danny's day of adventure with his prehistoric friend. Who hasn't fantasized about having a pet dinosaur, or wondered what those fossilized skeletons in the museum would look like, if they suddenly came alive?

Recently, a post on one of my favorite children's literature blogs, American Indians in Children's Literature, drew my attention to the problematic nature of the illustration in which Danny, at the museum for the day, is looking at a display containing an Indian, a bear, and an Eskimo. I was surprised, because although I had always found it odd and inappropriate that the achievements of non-European peoples - Native Americans, Pacific Islanders - would be collected in a museum devoted to "natural" history, while similar artifacts from European peoples are labeled "art," and find their way to a different sort of museum, I had no recollection of this illustration, from my childhood reading. Needless to say, I decided to track down a copy and reread, especially when - by sheer coincidence - we chose Danny and the Dinosaur as one of our July dinosaur-themed reads over in the Picture-Book Club to which I belong.

So... does this single illustration - which unquestionably hearkens back to outdated notions of racial hierarchy (some of them still with us, unfortunately) in which Europeans are somehow more fully "human," while non-Europeans are in the same category as animals - ruin the story? Will it harm the young reader? Is Professor Debbie Reese right? Should Danny and the Dinosaur be pulled from shelves? My answers are, respectively: Yes and No, Yes, Yes, and No.

To wit: I don't know that it's fair to say that the illustration "ruins" the story, since I can only speak for myself, but I do know that I will never be entirely comfortable with this title again. I will always be thinking of that illustration, what it means, and what harm it might do. Which brings me to: yes, I think images like this, for all their seeming innocence - perhaps because of them? - can do harm. Perhaps not lasting, terrible harm, all on their own, but if combined with enough similar material, not insignificant harm either. Meaning, of course, that yes, Professor Reese is right. She's right to point out this illustration, and she's right to question it. But finally, no, no I don't think, as she does, that it should be pulled from the library shelves. Leaving aside my passionate belief that the library should be a repository for the printed word, not some revolving-door collection based on popularity (or even morality), I also think that titles such as this fade away when they have no more significance, and it's worse than useless trying to forbid them. Worse, because we give things immense power by forbidding them...

I gave this three stars, because it would be untruthful, in light of my childhood love of it, to give it less. But although I wouldn't support its removal from the library, I also wouldn't use it to teach children to read, I wouldn't recommend it as a bookseller, and, should I ever have children of my own, I won't be bringing it into my home. ( )

Summary:
One day when Danny went to the museum one of the dinosaurs came to life. Danny and the dinosaur spent the whole day playing together. They watched baseball, went to the zoo, ate ice cream, and played hide and seek with Danny's friends. Then at the end of the day the dinosaur went back to the museum.

Personal Reaction:
This is a fun book. My son loves this book because he loves dinosaurs. I love the illustrations. They look like they are done with colored pencils.

Classroom Extension Ideas:
1. I would use this book to introduce a lesson on dinosaurs.
2. I would have the students write a story of what they would do if they could play with a dinosaur for a day.

Danny goes to the museum to meet an unusal friend, a dinosaur. They become instant friends and spend the day out playing. They eat ice cream, play hide and seek, and stroll around town. This is a book about friendship in the most unusal places with the person/thing you least expect. ( )

The illustrations are fun and it gives hidden messages to the reader. For example, a billboard in one of the pictures says “Always brush your teeth” and a sign reads “keep off the grass” and Danny and the Dinosaur obey the rules they encounter. I think the dinosaur could be Danny’s imaginary friend and it shows them spending the whole day together, which makes it relatable to kids. The author encourages the reader to keep an active imagination throughout the story and encourages being imaginative in real life.

I loved this book as a kid. I have the best memories of reading it. I lost my original book but was lucky enough to find it again at a yard sale.

I'll enjoy reading it to my children one day. :) ( )