Cirocco Dunlap

Crunch, the eponymous shy dinosaur in this charming interactive picture-book from author Cirocco Dunlap and illustrator Greg Pizzoli, must be coached out of the bushes by the reader. The narrator gives instructions, from speaking more softly to saying certain things. At one point the reader is instructed to sing 'Happy Birthday' - Crunch's favorite song. The book ends with Crunch falling asleep, and the reader being coached to do likewise...

A delightful little interactive bedtime book, show more Crunch, The Shy Dinosaur pairs a sweet instruction-style story reminiscent of Hervé Tullet's Press Here with adorable artwork. Young children who dream of having a dinosaur friend will warm to the shy brontosaurus here, and will enjoy getting involved in the story and (seemingly) effecting its direction. Recommended to young dinosaur lovers, and to anyone looking for more interactive picture-books. show less

Crunch, the Shy Dinosaur seems like a great read-aloud book as it really interacts with the listeners and gets them to talk back to the book character. Plus, it’s about a dinosaur! And I really liked the more hand drawn look of the illustrations and the color contrasts.

Crunch is a bit wary but the readers might be able to coax him out by saying hi and singing to him.

This is a super fun interactive book that engages young readers by asking them to fulfill certain prompts. It's very similar to titles like Press Here or This Book Just Ate My Dog! that also invite readers to interact. One thing I liked slightly more about this one is that it's less about touching the book and more about saying things. The former is great for kids who are reading on their own show more or one-on-one with a caregiver but the latter is perfect for classrooms or other group settings.

Greg Pizzoli's distinctive illustrations fit the story perfectly and help to showcase Crunch's shy but also silly nature. show less

Cute, ridiculous, delightful, and absolutely a book I'd enjoy reading to a storytime crowd. So funny! And yet such a good model about how sometimes people need careful handling. We can't all deal with loud and startling things!