The Dinosaurs Next Door

by Harriet Castor, Teri Gower (Illustrator), Lesley Sims (Adapter)

When Stan and his neighbor, Mr. Puff, accidentally shrink themselves while trying to reduce the size of the dinosaurs that hatched from eggs Mr. Puff found, it is up to Amy the cat to save the day.

Genres: Chapter Books, Dinosaurs

48 pages, Paperback

First published November 25, 1994

About the author

Harriet Castor was just thirteen when the first of her Fat Puss novels was published. She went on to become a children's book editor and now writes full time for both children and adults. A real ballet enthusiast, she is the author of the popular Ballerinas series.

Reviews

[SilverNediya · Rating 2 out of 5]

دوونیم ستاره
مناسب برای همون یانگ‌ریدرز، منتها در ترجمه باید این مقطع سنی در نظر گرفته بشه و زبان و لحن صمیمانه‌تر باشه

[Elizabeth Banville · Rating 3 out of 5]

1. n/a
2. First Grade
3. This book is about a boy named sam who lives next to Mr.Puff. Mr.Puff lives in a house full of interesting things, including a basket of dinosaur eggs. The dinosaurs hatch, and they grow and grow, and something must be done.
4. I think this book is a good way for children to open their imaginations. This book teaches children that books can be interesting and not all informational. Children can also learn problem-solving skills.
5. a. Children come up with their own idea of what they would do with the dinosaurs.
b. The children make their own dinosaur creations and use them to sing along to a song or to reading a poem.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mr. Puff is an inventor who lives next door to Sam. He’s a little strange, but that’s only where the story begins! Sam is invited to Mr. Puff’s house for an exciting surprise....hatching dinosaur eggs! Read the book to learn what adventures and inventions come to life!

This is a chapter book for a beginning reader. I’d recommend to any young child with a love of dinosaurs or silly stories!

[Gabriel Barnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a very nice dinosaur story. It was a very nice read.
Other kids who like dinosaurs would enjoy this silly story!

Words I struggled with:
strange Mr. {abbreviation for Mister}
inventor inventions
wheelie bursting
zigzagging shattered
lively measure
coiled machine
shrinking rescue
panted brilliant

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter read this to me and it was cute but lacked a good plot. I think it focused too much on details that were not as important, when it could have taken the opportunity to create a more thorough storyline.

[Richard · Rating 2 out of 5]

A story that ends just when it begins to get interesting and has a Mcguffin which has nothing to do with the actual story.

[❤️Chloe❤️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like it because it is about a inventor mr puff and Sam who is so exited there is dinosaurs next door and it would be amazing if I saw a dinosaur!!!

[Krisz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, it's not very believable that a prof next door will have dino eggs... Even though it's a tale it just doesn't work.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story ....

Could be the back story to Harry and his bucket full of dinosaurs

[Fenco Chen]

Lexile®: 520L, 1352W, 100%, 6y4m

[KaitandMaddie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish the puzzles were a bit more challenging, but it’s a good concept.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story occasionally asks the reader to use the illustrations and any words in them to figure out puzzles. I really like how well the illustrations and the story worked well together, helping the reader to make connections between the two.

[Jenni · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a story with quirky neighbours, unusual pets and innovative inventions.

[Tianna Tyler]

My Niece Loved It When I Read It To Her