How Do Dinosaurs Eat Their Food?

The idea of this story is to teach children how they should behave at the dinner table. I liked the book because of the writing and characters. The characters were a variety of dinosaurs and parents. The dinosaurs acted exactly how different kids would act at the table, and how parents would respond to what they’re doing. Even though the characters are dinosaurs, the readers are able to relate to them. I liked that the book rhymed all the way through. It creates a simple rhythm that allows the book to flow nicely and for the reader to stay engaged. One section of the story said, “ He tries every new thing, at least one bite. He makes no loud noises that isn’t polite.” I also like how the author organized the book. The book first show more starts out with impolite things to do at the dinner table such as burping, fidgeting, and throwing food on the floor. Then in the second half of the book the dinosaur demonstrates the polite things to do at a table like saying, “ please or thank you”. The illustrations are all very vivid, allowing the readers to take interest in the things that the dinosaurs are doing. Children may not realize that picking up food with your toes is ridiculous until they see a big dinosaur do it. show less

We like How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? very much and this one is good too. The large, expressive dinosaurs demonstrate over-the-top bad manners ("Do they spit out their broccoli partially chewed?") and then model perfectly correct ones, but somehow it has enough of a sense of humor to avoid seeming preachy. We read this one a lot at the kitchen table.

Can't get enough of those dinosaurs! Next I expect to see How do dinosaurs go through menopause and translated into Urdu. The fun is so infectious, though, the situations so recognizable, and Teague's illustrations so vibrant. No play dinos here! No cuddly, child-sized critters. This is the real thing, throwing food all over! And now it's in Spanish! Look out, Bi-Lingual Storytime!

I really enjoyed this book. I personally have read this book to young children and have seen in person how much they love and enjoy this book. It was a great and creative way to get young children thinking about manners and table etiquette. I love how the book uses dinosaurs symbolically as messy eaters. This a great idea for children to relate to the characters in the story. They might hear at home that they behave in a bad way at the dinner table or that they eat like little monsters. This book uses the questioning method: “Does he flip his spaghetti high into the air?” This directly involves the reader in the story and gets the reader thinking about how they act at the table. I like how the book is not only helping young readers show more to consider their behavior, but is also a great informational book on dinosaurs as well. The books first page is a picture page of all the dinosaurs mentioned in the book and more that are all conveniently labeled. As the story unfolds, you can notice that hidden within the picture there is written the name of each dinosaur pictured on each page. Finally, the pictures themselves are great! There is so much detail on the page that adds so much to the story. One of the most important parts of books for very young readers is how interesting and engaging the pictures are. For most of the readers in this targeted age group, the audience cannot yet read words. Therefore, it is incredibly important for the pictures to convey the message in a clear yet fun and colorful way, so that the readers might understand what the story is about, even without someone reading the book out loud to them. In this aspect, I think this book did an excellent job and that made me enjoy the book all the more. show less

This is a book that shows dinosaurs using very bad table manners. It asks, “Is this how dinosaurs eat their food?” At the end, the book explains that dinosaurs do not eat their food in those ways. It shows that dinosaurs actually use good manners when they eat. This fun trade book could be used in a classroom setting to teach manners. Students can discuss the manners that the book presents and talk about the manners that they use themselves. The colorful, realistic illustrations are practically the best part of the book. Something about seeing dinosaurs at a table using good manners is just delightful. This book shows children that if ferocious and wild beings such as dinosaurs can be polite, then they can too, and all children need show more to learn good manners. show less

The book seems to be targeted at helping children develop proper American table manners by incorporating their fascination of dinosaurs. I appreciated the attempt to teach table manners and to motivate children to apply the portrayed knowledge, but it leaves me questioning the effectiveness of the book. I think children will enjoy reading and looking at the pictures, but how effective is the book in terms of stirring behavioral changes? Another appreciation I had for this book is that almost all of the names of the different types of dinosaurs were discreetly written on the corresponding pages. For example, the beginning page of the book states, “How does a dinosaur eat all his food? Does he burp, does he belch, or make noises quite show more rude?” and displays “Cryolophosaurus” on the edge of the illustrated tablecloth.
As you can probably tell, the language carries a rhythmic flow partially due to the occasional use of rhymes and the illustrations capture the reader’s interest and support the text. Another thought that I had is that this book would be helpful to students who display improper table manners simply because they were not introduced to the proper American way to behave at the family table. By reading this book, children of non-American parents can also learn how they can show respect in their American friends’ homes. show less

The prospect of having a protoceratops come over for dinner or of joining a quetzalcoatlus for a fancy restaurant meal is sure to amuse young readers. Playful dinosaurs populate this clever tale that’s guaranteed to keep young readers laughing at the dinosaurs’ mischievous table manners.

Colorfully illustrated with the dinosaurs all but leaping from the page, this is a book guaranteed to please young dinosaur-lovers.

Recommended.