Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings

This book is wonderful! Dinosaurs receive poetic treatment. Each 2 page spread includes a short poem, most on a single dinosaur. The mixed media illustrations cover the pages, creatively connected the poem. Readers won't be able to cite this for their dinosaur report, but they will enjoy the wordplay and visuals. Includes table of contents, pronunciation guide, glossary, list of dinosaur museums and fossil sites, and bibliography.

Another great title from Douglas Florian, this book will be an instant hit with dinosaur fanatics (and I've already seen our library copies fly off the shelves). Each spread features a different dinosaur with a painting and a poem. The art includes so many creative details that kids will love to pore over the pages. The poems are humorous and feature the wordplay that Florian does so very well. A treat for those of us who read aloud are pronunciations of each dino's name right there on the page with the poem. Phew!

Loved it. A lot.

Full review on my blog: http://abbylibrarian.blogspot.com/2009/04/book-review-dinothesaurus.html

This is an awesome collection of poems about, and pictures of dinosaurs. Each poem is named after a different dinosaur, and tells their story in an engaging manner. It even includes the correct pronunciation for each dinosaur name. There is a glossary at the end, which is entitled, the "Glossarysaurus," which children can refer back to. A list of "Dinosaur Museums and Fossil Sites," and, "Further Dinosaur Reading" options, can be found in the back of the book as well. Students will learn different poem formats, types of dinosaurs, lives and habitats of dinosaurs, and prehistoric time in general. K and 1st graders can practice classifying and recognizing dinosaurs, as well as be introduced to the genre of poetry. 2nd graders could make show more poems of their own, modeled after those in the book. The poems could be about themselves or dinosaurs. K-2nd could use this book as inspiration for an art project, making collages like the illustrations in the book. show less

These are all poems about dinosaurs. The paintings were very nice with a mix of media used from watercolor, collage, and brightly colored pastels. These whimsical poems were fun to read and taught a lot about each dinosaur as well. If you have a dinosaur lover, they are sure to love this book of poems! Theme/Classroom connection: Dinosaurs, rhyming, poetry

If you've ever wanted to be able to remember facts about certain types of dinosaurs, this is the perfect book for you! Each page contains a fairly short poem about a particular dinosaur. The poems are clever but factual, so they are perfect little rhymes for students to learn!

Summary:
If you want to know more about dinosaurs this is the perfect book. Not only are you given an illustration of the dinosaur, but a short poetic description of the dinosaur is given as well. This book is filled with comical and knowledgeable facts about some of the most popular and well known dinosaurs.
Personal Reaction:
The way that the dinosaurs are pictured in this book is very interesting. I found myself trying to duplicate some of the artwork at home. I think that kids will find the pictures and poems in this book both entertaining and educational.
Extension Ideas:
1. In the classroom, I can have my students make their own creative pictures of what they think that these dinosaurs might have looked like while they were living. show more
2. I can use this book to introduce the topic of dinosaurs to my students. As a class we can try to find other words that rhyme with the names of the dinosaurs listed in this book. show less

Wonderful, colorful, and very informative about a subject that would interest children very much. This book is full of terms regarding dinosaurs describes in short detail about each dinosaur.There are some large terms in this book the dinosaur names. However, they are phonetically sounded out to make it easy for the reader and the listener to understand. I think intended for ages: 4-8

Source: Pierce County Library System