'The best books, reviewed with insight and charm, but without compromise.'
- author Jackie French

Wednesday 20 March 2013

Review: I'm a Dirty Dinosaur

Dinosaurs sure are fun. But a dirty dinosaur is, without a doubt, an even more fun dinosaur than a regular dinosaur - that is my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.

Let's face it, kids love to get dirty. They love to roll in the muck and LIVE life to the full, and so does the sweet little dino in this new book from Janeen Brian.

Dino starts with a grubby nose. Then a muddy face. Next comes a scummy tum and filthy feet and tail.

But does he care? No way! He's too busy jumping in puddles and rolling on the ground and having a great deal of fun. Will he ever wash again?

This is a gorgeously-designed book with thicker-than-average pages, making it much hardier for little ones. I'm absolutely loving the rounded corners of the firm cover, too, and Ann James' illustrations only lend further to this book's stand-out qualities. I'm simply loving her happy, rainbow-coloured line drawings, spattered with mud and perfectly complemented with the brightest of text.

Janeen Brian has written an engaging, rhythmic story, with repetitive rhyming onomatopoeia on every third page that will engage the very young and make story reading a delight for parents and teachers:

Sniff, sniff, snuff snuff,
Sniff and snuff about!

Endearing, fun and visually resplendent, it's just so lovely to see fresh, new ideas in children's picture books, even when they contain such prehistoric (but beloved) subject matter. ;)

Title: I'm a Dirty Dinosaur
Author: Janeen Brian
Illustrator: Anne James
Publisher: Penguin, $19.99 RRP
Publication Date: 19 March 2013
Format: Hard cover, firm pages
ISBN: 9780670076154
For ages: 2 - 6
Type: Picture Book