Harry and the Dinosaurs: Roar to the Rescue!

Harry and the Dinosaurs

by Ian Whybrow

Harry thinks he's too old for his bucketful of dinosaurs but they have other ideas. He looked after them when he was little and now they're determined to stick by him . . . for life. And Harry is not the only one who's got a lot bigger! When a mysterious set of plastic dinosaur cards appear on his key-ring, Harry soon finds that he can call on an army of Back-Up Dinosaurs. It only takes a rub with his finger to call up some MONSTER-sized muscle!

When Harry hears that Mr Oakley has been robbed by a nasty crook, he hopes that he and his friends - Jack, Charlie and Siri - can solve the crime. And after a night-time visit from a grateful Spinosaurus, Harry discovers that he now has a whole pocketful of back-up . . .

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Ian Whybrow is a British writer of children's books, first published in 1989. He has written over 100 books for children, has been translated into 27 languages and is published in 28 countries. His books are humorous and range from picture books to novels, short stories and poetry.

Reviews

[Ruth Frampton]

An entertaining read, that follows the adventures of Harry and his keyring of dinosaurs. This one confronts the important issue of dealing with bullies not just in the playground but the grown-up types that take advantage of older people. We listened to the audiobook version and found it to be engaging to even my 4-year-old daughter who sat through it all in one go. Looking forwards to the next one.

[Katy Kelly]

My son loves Harry, we've brought him up with the picture books, and we've always enjoyed them.

Just like Winnie the Witch, Bob the Man in the Moon and others, the authors have extended the range to continue the characters' adventures for the same audience growing up.

Here, Harry is a little older and has grown out of (mostly( his dinosaurs. The story is set in school and at home, with bullies making an appearance, a theft (to solve) and clubhouses. And of course. A new dinosaur.

I found this story needed a little explaining for my 5-year-old (maybe another year or two would have been better) - bullies are a familiar idea, but one plays with a lighter, which is now Harry meets a new (magic) dinosaur. There is talk of antiques. I needed to clarify along the way.

My son loved it though, he couldn't wait for the spinosaurus to come to life and help Harry.

Both plots are wrapped up neatly by the end, with the naughty characters learning a lesson and getting what they deserve.

Harry has a nice selection of friends who I'm sure will feature in future stories. One sad moment - it is made clear at the start *Chapter 5* that Harry's mum (always alone in the picture books) is a widow. I needed to talk about this for a few minutes before continuing.

The writing is suitable for a listener aged around 5-8, it worked for us over a few bedtimes. And we will be looking for more at the library!

[Sarah Mayor Cox]

This is an early chapter book, for 4-7 year olds that takes up the popular Harry and the Dinosaurs series and takes it into a more grown-up storyline.

For those that know the Harry books, they are about a little boy called harry who finds a bucketful of plastic dinosaurs in his Nan’s attic. He becomes obsessed with them, learns everything he can about them and they come to life.

In Roar to the Rescue, Harry is now at school and has forgotten about his bucketful of dinosaurs, but they haven’t’ forgotten about him and when he confronts some school bullies and sticks up for a plastic dinosaur lying on the ground in the school playground – the adventures begin. The dinosaur comes to life and helps him solve the mystery of a thief who is robbing old and trusting people in the village he lives in.

Simply told, a great way to lead readers from picture books to chapter books. Lots of illustrations to help tell the story. A real feeling of independence for readers.

http://www.harryandthedinosaurs.co.uk...

[Suvi]

Harri ja dinot on kiva sarja ykkös-kakkosluokkalaisille. Ainakin pojat ovat tästä innostuneet, kun olen vinkannut.

Tämä kirja on sarjan ensimmäinen, ja Harri saa tietää, että hänen lapsena omistamansa leludinot ovat kasvaneet isoiksi, aivan kuten hänkin. Dimut myös lupaavat auttaa Harria hätätilanteissa. Pian apua kaivataankin, sillä kylällä liikkuu mies, joka ostaa pilkkahinnalla vanhoilta ihmisiltä antiikkitavaroita ja myy arvotonta roinaa kalliilla. Mies on saatava kiinni, ennen kuin hän katoaa ja vie kaikkien rahat mukanaan.

[Angela]

I liked this book and so did my six year old, but I felt like he could not really follow what was happening and he seemed confused by the story. I don't think he really got the idea of 'the con', so the story did not make sense to him.

This was a good book though and the illustrations on almost every page kept his attention. He was most interested in the parts where the dinosaur made his appearance.

[Reetta Saine]

Hiukan opettavaisella tavalla kirjoitettu lasten helppolukuinen jutska jo kuvakirjoista tutuista Harrista ja dinoista. Tosin pikku-Harria dissataan ankarasti, ja eroa tehdään näkyvästi tähän "isoille" tarkoitettuun sarjaan.

Koulukiusaaminen yhdistettynä realistiseen varkaudenselvittämiseen ei istu rypyttä fantastiseen dinoiluun, mutta kaipa tällekin lukijansa löytyy.