by Penny Dale
Nosy Crow, $15.99, 32 pages
Dinosaurs, diggers, and dirt! Penny Dale (writer and illustrator) brings together three things almost all young children are excited about in this new colorful, counting picture book. Ten different species of dinosaurs come together using ten different types of diggers (construction machines) to build something the whole crew can enjoy. All of the diggers are identified in the back endpapers and all of the dinosaurs are identified in the front endpapers.
Practically all of the dinosaur illustrations are accurate with the small exception of the Iguanodon who is still in the older yet classic stance of the tail dragging along the ground rather than balancing in the air, but with a Tyrannosaurus Rex operating an Excavator in the first scene there is plenty of wiggle room for the imagination. This book is a pleasure for the eyes and a perfect read aloud for any small child up to age seven. Children will enjoy seeing the dinosaurs working together to build, watching them use different diggers and joining in on the construction onomatopoeia that punctuates each page. Crash! … Thump! … Scrape! Enjoy this book!
Catherine McMullen