Perfect Picture book Fridays – When Dinosaurs Came With Everything

Hello everyone! The Fall term of college is over, and I now have some time to do some Perfect Picture Book reviews! Yay! To view more of today’s PPBF’s, please visit author (and founder of PPBF) Susanna Leonard Hill’s blog.

Title: When Dinosaurs Came With Everything
Author: Elise Broach
Illustrator: David Small
Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (Simon & Schuster). (2007)
Ages: 3 and Up
Themes: Adventure, Animals, Cause & Effect, Cleaning Up, Conflict Resolution, Consequences, Dinosaurs, Family, Fantasy, Fun, Humor, Imagination, Parenting, Perspective, Problem Solving, Positivity
Opening/Synopsis:
Friday is errand day. My mom goes on boring errands, and I have to go with her. And this Friday seemed like every other Friday…until we got to the bakery. A sign above the donuts read: “Buy a Dozen Get a Dinosaur”.

Inside book jacket:  Get what?! Free what?! Dinosaurs? Just when a little boy thinks he is going to die of boeredom from running errands with his mom, the most remarkable, the most stupendous thing happens. He discovers that on this day, and this day only, stores everywhere are giving away a very special treat with any purchase. No, not the usual lollipop or sticker. Something bigger. Much, MUCH bigger. It’s a dream come true, except…what exactly do you do with these Jurassic treats? And how do you convince Mom to let you keep them?

Reviews:

“Broach and Caldecott Medalist Small’s deadpan delivery of a delectably over-the-top premise makes this tall-format picture book a virtually guaranteed crowd pleaser… Packs an outsize helping of humor.”
– Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

“What if one day every merchant in town offered up, and indeed, insisted that shoppers take home a live dinosaur (free) with every purchase? That’s what happens to a boy and his mother in this sweet, absurd story that unfolds very much like a dream.”
– Kirkus, Starred Review

“Enticing, useful, and wish-fulfilling, this has ‘firm favorite’ written all over it, especially if you invite the audience to bring their own, presumably toy, dinosaurs.”
– Bulletin for the Center of Children’s Books, Starred Review

Activities:

Printable Coloring Sheets from Simon & Schuster

Dinosaur Quiz

Lesson Plans for Grades K-5 at Discovery.com

Videos from National Geographic Dinosaur 101

Awards this book has won:

• TIME MAGAZINE, #1 CHILDREN’S BOOK OF 2007
• AN ALA NOTABLE BOOK
• E.B. WHITE READ ALOUD AWARD, ASSOCIATION OF BOOKSELLERS FOR CHILDREN
• A JUNIOR LIBRARY GUILD SELECTION, 2007

What I liked about this book:  I liked how this book started ordinary, then took a turn for the unusual! I liked how it was told from a kids perspective. The book also had a theme of turning a negative into a positive concerning the Mom’s attitude about pet dinosaurs. The illustrations were lively and fun. This book won the E.B. White Read Aloud Award and I can see why. Each turn of the page offers more craziness as kids everywhere on that day, and that day only get dinosaurs!

Geena Davis read this book at the White House Easter Egg Roll in 2011:

Perfect Picture Book Fridays are a weekly blog event where participants review some of their favorite picture books. The posts are compiled on author Susanna Leonard Hill’s website. They are categorized by theme to help parents, educators and readers find the perfect picture book easily. To learn more, please visit Susanna’s site where you will find the complete PPBF’s library.