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Digger the Dinosaur
Digger the Dinosaur
Digger the Dinosaur may be dino-size, but he has the heart of a preschooler. He loves to help but gets mixed up a lot. In Digger the Dinosaur , Digger wants to play baseball with his friends. But he isn’t allowed to go out until he’s cleaned his room. Digger starts cleaning at top speed, but the faster he moves the messier his room gets. His big tail and big feet aren’t helping! Will Digger win the race to tidy his room and get to the game on time? Young dinosaur fans will relate (as will their parents and caregivers). Digger the Dinosaur is a My First I Can Read book, which means it’s perfect for shared reading with a child. Books at this level feature basic language, word repetition, and whimsical illustrations, ideal for sharing with emergent readers. The active, engaging stories have appealing plots and lovable characters, encouraging children to continue their reading journey.
24 pages, Paperback
First published December 31, 2011
About the author
Rebecca Kai Dotlich
44 books50 followersRebecca is a poet and picture book author of such titles as What is Science? (a 2006 Subaru SB&F prize finalist), and Lemonade Sun (an American Booksellers "Pick of the Lists"). Her work is featured widely in poetry anthologies and textbooks. Rebecca promotes children's poetry, giving presentations and workshops to students, teachers, librarians and writers. She lives in Indiana.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
April 6, 2020
Digger is a child dinosaur, and he doesn't listen a lot. His room is dirty, so his Mom makes him clean it up with his buddy. He keeps mishearing the words (book, hook - close enough, right?). Along the way, the dinos giggle until they get it right!
The pictures are stunning and really well done. I enjoyed the colour scheme and how the pictures covered the entire page. The colours were soft yet fit the story perfectly. It makes this book stand out and look really nice.
This book is a great way to get kids active and reading. They can learn the words (including rhyming ones!) as they admire the pictures and laugh along with Digger as he makes silly mistakes. These books go up in difficulty, so you can start with the easiest level and work your way up. Yay for education!
Overall, I think this book is very cute and a great learning tool!
Three out of five stars.
The pictures are stunning and really well done. I enjoyed the colour scheme and how the pictures covered the entire page. The colours were soft yet fit the story perfectly. It makes this book stand out and look really nice.
This book is a great way to get kids active and reading. They can learn the words (including rhyming ones!) as they admire the pictures and laugh along with Digger as he makes silly mistakes. These books go up in difficulty, so you can start with the easiest level and work your way up. Yay for education!
Overall, I think this book is very cute and a great learning tool!
Three out of five stars.
October 19, 2019
This is an "I Can Read" book. Your little ones ages 4-8 and grades Preschool-3rd grade can read this many different ways. The small ones get to listen, older get to follow with their finger and pick out words they know. Older still get to team read. You read a page and they read a page. All happiness but remember there is a great story attached to all those words about a dinosaur who needs to clean his room before he can do something fun.
Digger is a good dinosaur but very busy. His Mom told him, he must clean his room before he can play. He went to tell Stego to tell him. What did he do? Did he get to play? It' s time. It's time. Storybook reading/listening time. Whopee!!
Digger is a good dinosaur but very busy. His Mom told him, he must clean his room before he can play. He went to tell Stego to tell him. What did he do? Did he get to play? It' s time. It's time. Storybook reading/listening time. Whopee!!
March 18, 2012
Basic Plot: Digger is too focused on playing to listen to his mom when she wants him to clean up.
Overall, not bad for a free Nook download. The art was polished and effective. The story and writing were extremely simplistic, but it is designed for young children just getting used to the idea of reading, so it's a good fit. The story uses some puns, too, as the young dinosaur mishears his mother and friend's instructions, which is good for beginning readers to get a sense of the sound of words as well as the visual recognition. My little monster has asked for it twice now, so it even has some staying power.
Overall, not bad for a free Nook download. The art was polished and effective. The story and writing were extremely simplistic, but it is designed for young children just getting used to the idea of reading, so it's a good fit. The story uses some puns, too, as the young dinosaur mishears his mother and friend's instructions, which is good for beginning readers to get a sense of the sound of words as well as the visual recognition. My little monster has asked for it twice now, so it even has some staying power.
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September 29, 2018My kids (3 and 5) picked out this book from our collection. Dinosaur stories are always a big hit here, and they really liked it. Digger's misunderstanding of his mom and his friend really tickled their funny bone. The wordplay is great, and what parent wouldn't love a book about a kid cleaning his or her own room?
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August 16, 2013
This is the story of a young dinosaur who doesn't listen very well. He hears words that rhyme with the words that his mother and friend say to him instead of the words they actually say! A great early reader book because it shows kids that it's ok to make mistakes and that you can fix things when mistakes happen.
March 27, 2015
This book was just adorable.
December 7, 2015
Aw Digger, a cute little dinosaur. Easy text and my little one is obsessed with dinosaurs right now. Simple language, which is pretty much what we are looking for with these books.
March 27, 2016
Fun to read. The dinosaurs got mixed up.
September 17, 2019
The constant not understanding of words got kind of annoying. It got old really fast.
November 28, 2019
Clean up to the rescue
Friends, helping, listening and cleaning up all great topics to discuss and think about with our kids, great names and pictures
Friends, helping, listening and cleaning up all great topics to discuss and think about with our kids, great names and pictures
May 19, 2021
Digger the Dinosaur written by Rebecca Kai Dotlich and illustrated by Gynux is a story about a dinosaur who wants to play with his friend. But first, he must clean his room. Will he clean his room in time or will he only make it worse?
Digger the Dinosaur would be categorized in the sub-format of beginning reader picture books. This is because according to Children’s Literature, Briefly, books that are a part of the I Can Read series fall into this sub-format category. Children’s Literature, Briefly goes on to clarify that books in this category are characterized by having brief text and illustrations on every single page. The shape of the book looks more like a chapter book rather than a picturebook. These books can also have controlled-vocabulary which is evident in Digger the Dinosaur with the use of high frequency words and over simplified vocabulary.
For teacher interested in using this beautifully illustrated book in their classroom, here is a link for a read-aloud which can be projected on your Smart Board. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6zo5...
Digger the Dinosaur would be categorized in the sub-format of beginning reader picture books. This is because according to Children’s Literature, Briefly, books that are a part of the I Can Read series fall into this sub-format category. Children’s Literature, Briefly goes on to clarify that books in this category are characterized by having brief text and illustrations on every single page. The shape of the book looks more like a chapter book rather than a picturebook. These books can also have controlled-vocabulary which is evident in Digger the Dinosaur with the use of high frequency words and over simplified vocabulary.
For teacher interested in using this beautifully illustrated book in their classroom, here is a link for a read-aloud which can be projected on your Smart Board. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6zo5...
November 8, 2024
This would be a nice, easy book for a new reader. I think Momasaur needs to get Digger's hearing checked tho.
December 19, 2016
Digger wants to play, but Momosaur wants him to clean up first. She has specific instructions, but Digger keeps getting mixed up! It’s a good thing his friend Stego is there to help him figure out what needs to be put away, and to play with him when he’s finished.
This My First I Can Read book combines two things preschoolers love: dinosaurs and play dates. For that reason alone, it won’t have a hard time finding an audience. The storyline uses the silly humor that four- and five-year-olds find hilarious and it focuses on a familiar daily chore - cleaning up toys - that all kids recognize from their own lives. The illustrations are colorful and engaging, and they really set the stage in prehistoric times, showing that Digger lives in a cave, and sleeps on a slab of stone.
What is unfortunate, though, is that a great concept that promotes phonological awareness - mixing up rhyming words - becomes muddled in the execution. The problems begin almost immediately, when Momosaur says, “Your room is a mess,” and Digger asks, “She said yes?” The structure of Digger’s sentence of dialogue is awkward, because we normally don’t speak that way, and I had to read it twice to understand the intended mix-up. Digger continues to mishear directions, putting his coat on a book instead of a hook, and cleaning up his stones instead of his bones, and these two instances follow a clearer repetitive structure. Each time, Stego points out Digger’s mistake, and Digger says, “I can fix that!” Though this line attempts to serve as a catchy refrain, it doesn’t seem quite memorable or rhythmic enough to encourage young readers to repeat it. Overall, the text feels stilted and reads unnaturally, which is unfortunate for a book that is intended to be read aloud to emergent readers.
There can never be too many dinosaur books, so I’m sure Digger the Dinosaur will be a welcome addition to most library collections. That said, it’s not my favorite, and I think there are better-written and more clearly plotted stories at this level that would better serve the needs of a new reader. For dinosaur-themed alternatives, try Dinosaur’s Day by Ruth Thomson, Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea, and Dig Those Dinosaurs by Lori Haskins Houran.
This My First I Can Read book combines two things preschoolers love: dinosaurs and play dates. For that reason alone, it won’t have a hard time finding an audience. The storyline uses the silly humor that four- and five-year-olds find hilarious and it focuses on a familiar daily chore - cleaning up toys - that all kids recognize from their own lives. The illustrations are colorful and engaging, and they really set the stage in prehistoric times, showing that Digger lives in a cave, and sleeps on a slab of stone.
What is unfortunate, though, is that a great concept that promotes phonological awareness - mixing up rhyming words - becomes muddled in the execution. The problems begin almost immediately, when Momosaur says, “Your room is a mess,” and Digger asks, “She said yes?” The structure of Digger’s sentence of dialogue is awkward, because we normally don’t speak that way, and I had to read it twice to understand the intended mix-up. Digger continues to mishear directions, putting his coat on a book instead of a hook, and cleaning up his stones instead of his bones, and these two instances follow a clearer repetitive structure. Each time, Stego points out Digger’s mistake, and Digger says, “I can fix that!” Though this line attempts to serve as a catchy refrain, it doesn’t seem quite memorable or rhythmic enough to encourage young readers to repeat it. Overall, the text feels stilted and reads unnaturally, which is unfortunate for a book that is intended to be read aloud to emergent readers.
There can never be too many dinosaur books, so I’m sure Digger the Dinosaur will be a welcome addition to most library collections. That said, it’s not my favorite, and I think there are better-written and more clearly plotted stories at this level that would better serve the needs of a new reader. For dinosaur-themed alternatives, try Dinosaur’s Day by Ruth Thomson, Dinosaur vs. Bedtime by Bob Shea, and Dig Those Dinosaurs by Lori Haskins Houran.
July 28, 2017
Title: Digger the Dinosaur
Author: Katharine Kenah; Pictures by Abby Carter
Categories/Genres: Easy Reader/Fiction/Series
Copyright date: 2012
Estimate of age level of interest: Age 4-7
Estimate of reading level: My First, Shared Reading, Grade K
Brief description: Digger and his friend Steggo clean up his room before going outside to play.
Identify at least 2 characteristics of this genre and subgenre and discuss how they appear in your book.
This is a fiction story that is perfect for students in Kindergarten or first grade. The characters are very fictional dinosaurs but all students will relate to the frustration of having to clean up their mess! Simplistic writing with limited words on each page. The illustrations in the story can help the readers work through some of the text they may struggle with.
In what ways and how well does the book as a whole serve its intended audience?
This book is great book for students learning to read with an adult. Lots of sight words that new readers will recognize.
Author: Katharine Kenah; Pictures by Abby Carter
Categories/Genres: Easy Reader/Fiction/Series
Copyright date: 2012
Estimate of age level of interest: Age 4-7
Estimate of reading level: My First, Shared Reading, Grade K
Brief description: Digger and his friend Steggo clean up his room before going outside to play.
Identify at least 2 characteristics of this genre and subgenre and discuss how they appear in your book.
This is a fiction story that is perfect for students in Kindergarten or first grade. The characters are very fictional dinosaurs but all students will relate to the frustration of having to clean up their mess! Simplistic writing with limited words on each page. The illustrations in the story can help the readers work through some of the text they may struggle with.
In what ways and how well does the book as a whole serve its intended audience?
This book is great book for students learning to read with an adult. Lots of sight words that new readers will recognize.
April 29, 2014
"Digger the Dinosaur," by Rebecca Kai Dotlich, is a very short cutely illustrated story about a little dinosaur who needs to tidy his room before he can go out to play with his friends.
"Digger the Dinosaur" is easy to read aloud, features a nice cadence and some fun rhymes, and holds up well to re-reads. The illustrations are unique and pleasant and work very well with the story. In the story, Digger is so focused on going out to play that he has difficulty listening to what he's told to do, and makes ridiculous mistakes (ie putting CATS away instead of HATS). It's a nice focus on rhyming words, and the mistakes Digger makes are the kind little kids find hysterical.
"Digger the Dinosaur" is easy to read aloud, features a nice cadence and some fun rhymes, and holds up well to re-reads. The illustrations are unique and pleasant and work very well with the story. In the story, Digger is so focused on going out to play that he has difficulty listening to what he's told to do, and makes ridiculous mistakes (ie putting CATS away instead of HATS). It's a nice focus on rhyming words, and the mistakes Digger makes are the kind little kids find hysterical.
March 30, 2012
Over all amazing book! I didn't know who I really was until I read this book. This book much inspiration I'm surprised you would be able to harness it in so few of pages. After reading this book it gave me the initiative to complete my life goals. I would encourage anyone human with a heart to read this book. If you want to find out what you are meant for in this world I would highly recommend that you read Digger the Dinosaur. Throughout my entire lifetime I've been looking for the one special book that I can't stop reading over and over again, this book has truly changed my life.
September 27, 2019
As this book is meant for beginning readers, it is very simple. Digger Dinosaur needs to clean his room before he can play with Steggo. There's only one problem, he has trouble hearing! When he's told "mess" he hears "yes", "bones" is "stones", etc. It was a clever way to help new readers differentiate between words that sound similar. I also found the illustrations intriguing, as they looked almost like CGI or animation. I can't say I've seen similar illustrations so far.
March 12, 2012
I saw this book in ibooks and I thought it will be interesting to read since I'm fond of children's books. Anyway,reading the title of the book you'll expect the story to have a digging scene or tunnel scene and the like but, nothing like that happened. Aside from the title I don't have any problem with this book I only thought that I prefer the other installments of the "I can read" series.
March 30, 2014
This story is about a little dinosaur who wants to go outside and play, but he needs to clean up his room first. He doesn't hear the directions correctly and is constantly putting the wrong items away like putting the cats in the closet instead of his hats. I love the use of rhyming words, and cute illustrations. It's fun for kids to try and figure out what Digger will mess up next.
July 26, 2012
I had to read this book to Cooper. It was kind of annoying how they kept making mistakes then the mom coming in to fix it! Exaple....... (put the HATS away)then they put the CATS away instead. But Cooper enjoyed it and thats what matters!:)
November 10, 2015
This is a "My First Shared Reading" storybook. The text is simple and repeatative, and many rhyming similar words. It also teaches children to 'listen' as the little dinosaur thinks he is listening but he's really not and he does the opposite of what he actually should.
April 22, 2019
This is such cute book and my son loves it. I think it's great for beginning readers to be able to sound words out a red by themselves. It also teaches a lesson of listening carefully to instructions.
October 14, 2019
Great read!
Digger the Dinosaur (My First I can read). Moral of the story listen, be helpful and great example of helping children learn the importance of listening and cleaning their room.
Digger the Dinosaur (My First I can read). Moral of the story listen, be helpful and great example of helping children learn the importance of listening and cleaning their room.
April 8, 2012
Another cute book that I read to my nephew. Ho adored it...
April 18, 2012
Got this with my nook, cute for kids.
July 27, 2014
Review to follow soon.
November 3, 2019
Great for new readers!
My 5 year old loved this book!!! This book was not too overwhelming for him and it kept his interest.
My 5 year old loved this book!!! This book was not too overwhelming for him and it kept his interest.
December 10, 2019
Okay but slightly confusing children's book. I thought "Digger" was going to end up hard of hearing but it just turned out he didn't listen and should have been extinct [kidding].
December 20, 2019
Read to Theodore by nana in her usual funny style!
December 31, 2019
Cute rhyming book
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews