Dinosaur Starts School

by Pamela Duncan Edwards, Deborah Allwright (Illustrator)

"What would you do if on the very first day of school Dinosaur wasn't smiling his big, toothy dinosaur smile? You'd say, 'Don't worry, Dinosaur. School will be fun.'" So begins the story as a little boy helps his dinosaur friend overcome his fears of the first day of school. All sorts of questions that children might ask are addressed by the little boy - why does he have to go to school, what if he has to speak up and say his name, what if he doesn't like what they serve for lunch? His answers should calm the tummies of any young student. And best of all, he explains how to make new friend. By the end of the day, Dinosaur loves school and can't wait to come again the next day.

Genres: Picture Books, School, Dinosaurs, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Friendship

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 18, 2008

About the author

Pamela Duncan Edwards is a British-born children's author living in the United States. She has written over forty picture books published in both the U.S. and the U.K., known for their playful language and engaging storytelling.

Reviews

[Lydia]

I really liked this book. It was really heart warming.
The picture book is about dinosaurs first day at school and how daunting it can be, but his friend reassures him that there is nothing to worry about and that they are going to have loads of fun. The dinosaurs always questions with 'what if' which can be used to look at how to use 'what if' and the possibilities than could happen when going somewhere new / trying something new. There are all these possibilities, but you should always still do them and not to walk away from the unknown.

[Becca Parsons]

Good book for shared reading on the first few days of school when some children might be nervous. Particularly good for EYFS and links into their learning about dinosaurs.

[Little Seesaw]

Very cute about a little boy helping his dinosaur not to be worried about going to school.

[Heidi]

2024 Dino Days storytime

[Set]

Modern illustrations of a little boy's first day of School with his dino buddy.

[John Michael Martinez (Elio. Studio)]

The illustrations in this picture book are vibrant and playful, with a sketchy, doodle-like quality that captures the energy and emotions of a dinosaur's first day of school. The art style is fun and colorful, making it appealing to young readers who are just starting school themselves.

The story begins with a dinosaur feeling nervous about his first day of school. A young boy, his friend, helps reassure him by addressing all the dinosaur's "what if" questions. The dinosaur worries about all the things that could go wrong—whether he’ll make friends, if the teacher will be nice, or if he’ll enjoy the activities. The boy calmly assures him that it's okay to feel worried and explains that school is a fun and exciting place, full of joy and learning.

As the day progresses, the dinosaur slowly starts to realize that school isn’t as scary as he imagined. He enjoys meeting new friends, playing games, and learning new things. By the end of the day, he feels happy and excited, even wishing to go back to school the next day.

Dinosaur Starts School teaches an important lesson: it's normal to feel anxious or shy about new experiences, but worrying doesn't help. Instead, it's better to embrace the moment and let the joy of learning and fun fill your days. This story offers comfort and encouragement to children who may be feeling apprehensive about starting school, showing them that school can be a positive and enjoyable experience.

[Claire (Book Blog Bird)]

I have a little dinosaur who's due to start school in September and who is starting to feel a bit nervous. This lovely book with some really beautiful illustrations was given to her as a leaving present by her preschool and has helped alleviate some of her fears.

It's the story of a dinosaur and a young boy who are just starting school, but the dinosaur has all sorts of fears. What if it's too loud? What if they make him eat yucky food? What if he messes up his painting? Luckily, the little boy is on hand to help dinosaur out and eventually they discover that they aren't the only ones feeling nervous and shy.

[Neil Nicholson]

This is a good book to make text to self connections. The dinosaur is nervous about his first day of school. He has a lot of questions that most preschoolers might have when starting school. His little friend, helps answer his questions and gives him reassurance that everything will be o.k. I would recommend this book for both prek and kindergartners. Afterwards, teacher can discuss with students, a time where they felt nervous and scared.

[Robert]

The illustrations in this are very good. A little boy has a pet dinosaur who is nervous about attending school. The little boy walks the dinosaur through all the scenarios of what could happen and shows him how well the dinosaur would handle things.

I suspect this book is meant to help little children who are nervous about attending school. I am not exactly sure how this would alleviate one's nerves, but I there's probably a way.

Cute enough, not great.

[Kandice Buck]

Dinosaur is scared about going to his first day of school. He has many excuses and questions to ask about going to school. By the end of the day, dinosaur realizes that going to school is not as scary as he originally thought. This is a wonderful book to read to students on the first day of school or even during the first week. It covers many emotions that many kids feel during their first days of going to school.

[Cortney Perkins]

This is a wonderful story about friendship and the fears that come with starting school. It is about a dinosaur who is nervous about going to school. The little boy is there for the dinosaur and tries tell him it will be okay. But, the dinosaur is still unsure. Eventually the dinosaur starts to see how much fun school is. This would be a great book to read on the first day of school for any grade but especially younger grades.

[Tricia]

It is comforting that the feelings children experience about going to school are expressed by a dinosaur, who worries about getting lost, being shy, making a mess...and other common scenarios for a child. For each worry, the dinosaur is reassured by a classmate and by day's end, he is content at school.

[Jessica Bennett]

A great book to read on the first day of school! The students can relate to the dinosaur and his fears about starting school, but then they will see that the dinosaur enjoys school and wants to go back everyday. This book is also great to show writing craft because the whole book is written in a question/answer format.

[Paul]

A child discusses the potential pitfalls of a first day at school with his dinosaur friend in order to reassure it that the unknown is rarely as fearful as it at first may seem. Given that the dinosaur in question is a stegosaurus and probably the stupidest creature that ever lumbered about the planet absent-mindedly, it will be an achievement if it even finds the school gates.

[Ariel]

I think this book would be great for young children just starting school. Its illustrations are bright and interesting, the text is fairly simple for new readers, and it has a theme that a lot of kids can relate to. Starting school can be a scary thing for students; books like these can help prepare them for that transition.

[Shannon Brasher]

Dinosaur Starts School is a perfect book for the first day of school in a primary classroom. Children who are starting school for the first time can be intimidated and scared and what a great way to discuss and ease their concerns by reading about a dinosaur who is also scared about the first day of school. I would read this book aloud to my classroom during the first days of school.

[Jenna]

This would be a fantastic book to read on the first day of school to younger grades. The characters go through different feelings and emotions of their first day of school, which I feel would be easy for children to relate to. You could do a follow up activity by having the children identify which emotion they are feeling on their first day of school.

[Mary Dye]

This was a wonderful book about the first day of school and learning to make new friends. I think that this book could be used in any of the elementary age classrooms during the first week of school to make all of the students feel welcome. I think it is a great book about how to make friends even when you yourself might be a little scared or shy.

[Kaitlyn Lawrence]

When Dinosaur is afraid to start school his friend reassures him how fun school can be! This would be a great silly book to read on the first day to help students know that school is going to be fun! This will help students to relax and enjoy themselves as well as to help them to know they are not the only ones who feel this way.

[Molly]

This is a great first day of school book. It is a boy and his dinosaur and the boy helping his dinosaur over his nerves. Cute, though I do think the way it is written seems to have stolen a little bit from the Yolen Dinosaur books. Preschool +

[Jessica Trufley]

What a great book to read on the first day of class! It's about a shy dinosaur going to school for the first time and being shy and scared. In the end he finds a friend and wants to go back the next day to keep playing. A very cute story and the illustrations were fun too.

[Morgan]

This book is great read aloud for students' first day of school. The book is about dinosaurs first day of school and all the what if scenarios and emotions that could happen on the first day. This would be a great book to read when talking about emotions as well.

[Christiana]

oh geez, I love this book!

[Boni]

An okay first-day-of-school book, but with a dinosaur thrown in for no rhyme or reason. It's not dinosaur-y in any way- kind of felt like a gimmick to me.

[Laura]

It's been done again and again.

[Tams]

Good lesson. Very cute layout and story.

[Julia]

Similar premise to Yolen's "how do dinosaurs..." series with lovely illustrations and back-to-school plot.

[Susan]

Good comforting books for children starting school. Ordering.

[Allison]

Oh, VERY sweet. I enjoy that the kid is the one with the answers, the one who can handle the situation, who can cheer dinosaur up and make negatives into positives.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S.]

Dinosaur is nervous about starting school but his friend helps him on his first day.

Nice book for kiddos starting kindergarten. Like my son this fall :).