I Speak Dinosaur!

     As parents, there are so many important things that you want to make sure that you teach your child.  For many, good manners and learning proper behavior lead the list of lessons that we want to ensure in our children.  One of the best ways that you can supplement your hands-on lessons with your child is through the sharing of stories.  Stories, like I Speak Dinosaur!, by Author/Illustrator Jed Henry, provide you not only with an excellent teaching tool, but an enjoyable, endearing experience to share with your little one.

     The energetic, red-headed little boy in the beginning of this charming tale has a huge imagination, preferring to communicate with all around him by speaking ‘dinosaur.’ Speaking ‘dinosaur’ entails the lack of using his manners, choosing to growl and roar at his mom, his little sister and his friends.  This, as predicted, gets the little boy in a mess of trouble, and without other ‘dinosaurs’ to talk to, he finds that he is totally left on his own, and quickly becomes very sad and lonely. 

     One day, while swinging alone on a swing, a few kindly, polite dinosaurs come along and ask if they may, “please play” with him, and the little boy, joyfully accepting their companionship, agrees, and even thanks them!  The little boy’s feelings and actions (as well as the eventual changes) are mirrored in the various colorful dinosaur illustrations throughout the story.  While author Henry encourages the importance of expressing his littlest reader’s individuality in his short story, he manages to gently warn children that even big, scary dinosaurs must always remember to be polite and gracious to others.

I Speak Dinosaur!

Publisher:  Abrams Books for Young Readers

ISBN:  978-1-4197-0233-4

Retails for: $14.95

For Ages:  3 and up

2012

Written and Illustrated by Jed Henry

www.abramsbooks.com