Penny Dale (1) (1954–)

This is absolutely one of my favorite books about brothers and family. My parents bought this book for my younger brother Neil when our youngest brother John was born because the illustrations look just like them! I liked this book for many reasons but particularly the writing and the plot. The story is about how two brothers know each other very well and the growing bond between them. I love how the older brother knows exactly what his little brother wants when he cries, frowns, or looks at show more someone a certain way. It shows such a loving bond between them and is returned in the end when the younger brother knows just what his big brother wants. The second reason I like the book is because of its beautiful illustrations. The story was drawn out with water colors, pencil, and crayon but looks dramatic and realistic. The facial features and expressions on the brothers are on point with the mood they are feeling and are downright adorable. The overall big idea of this story is the importance of the growing bond between siblings and family. show less

Thump! Crash! Clatter! Clunk! Scrape! Sploosh! As the dinosaurs dig away at their construction site their numbers increase and their project gets more & more involved. Count as the number and variety of dinosaurs adds up until the very last page when the final project is revealed.

It's no secret, our family has a huge reservoir of dino-lovers. Not only has my four year old son been a fan since I can remember, but as soon as my two year old daughter could start playing with his dinosaurs she show more grabbed them and wouldn't let go. One of the first series of books we introduced to both kiddos were the "How Do Dinosaurs...?" series by Jane Yolen and they instantly fell in love. So when I discovered Nosy Crow had a new dinosaur book coming out I was obviously interested, as were the kiddos. The illustrations are actually quite similar to the style found in Yolen's series that's illustrated by Mark Teague which was a huge bonus because it felt like you were revisiting an old friend.

What sets Dinosaur Dig! apart from other dinosaur books is the brilliant text and gorgeous characterization. Often counting books are either too simple with only three to five word sentences per spread making it somewhat boring for older readers who may be past the "learning to count" stage. Dinosaur Dig! has just the right balance with a well written opening sentence followed up by a rephrasing of the same sentence along with action words on each spread. This set up makes it easy for very young readers/learners to focus on the numbers but also makes it enjoyable for older readers who enjoy reading and interacting with the dinosaurs on the page. There are also the scientific names of the dinosaurs on the inside cover of the book, which the Turkeybird loves learning! In addition to this, each of the dinosaurs are realistic, but not scary at all, making them easy to connect with for young readers who love these pre-historic creatures.

Dinosaur Dig! by Penny Dale is a stand out counting book that not only toddlers, but pre-school age dino-fans will absolutely love! Our family has quickly fallen in love with the delightful illustrations and text by Penny Dale that has reminded us of one of our absolute favorite dinosaur series by Jane Yolen. This is a fantastic book for families with toddlers and preschoolers who love dinosaurs and love to count. Dig, crunch and count through the pages of Dinosaur Dig! as these dinosaurs build their very own surprise ending that young readers will be thrilled to read about!

Originally reviewed and copyrighted at my site, There's A Book. show less

Brilliant. Author/illustrator Penny Dale places dinosaurs at the helm of heavy equipment on a construction site. What could be a better pairing than dinosaurs with cranes and bulldozers?!

In Dinosaur Dig, dinosaurs work together to carefully build a magnificent creation, shoveling, dumping, lifting, mixing, with lots and lots of onomatopoeia. Very fun.

“Five dinosaurs mixing.
Mixing sticky cement.
Sticky cement on
shiny trowels.
Scrape!
Scrape!
Scrape!”

This delightful retake on the much loved nursery song "Ten in the Bed" is absolutely charming. And it has stood the test of time. The illustrations are sweet, utterly delightful, and captivating. Lots of motion in the pictures. Lots of critters to delight. Lots of fun.

And the idea of ten in the bed goes back many years to a time when families were large, beds few and crowded, and space extremely limited. A bit of a jolly song not to make fun of the situation but to lend a light-heartedness show more to one of the facts of life as it existed at the time for many.

So the little one said, "Roll over, roll over..... and...."

I received a complimentary copy to facilitate a review. Opinions are mine, alone and are freely given. show less