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Dinosaurs Don't Have Bedtimes!
A mom indulges her son’s fantasy play while gently steering him toward bedtime in a raucous ode to imagination.
"Dinnertime!" calls Mommy. Well, dinosaurs don’t have dinnertimes! They eat whatever they like (gobble, crunch!), make a dreadful mess, and hate to take baths and wear pajamas (where would their tails go?). Dinosaurs are much too big to play nicely—they rampage and stomp around and knock things down! But maybe they’d listen to a bedtime story, if it’s ROARY. . . . With exuberant illustrations merging bedtime routines with a little boy’s fantasy world—and showing Mom’s role in both—this ode to dinosaurs, wild imaginations, and cleverly won bedtime snuggles is sure to get roars of approval from kids and parents alike.
"Dinnertime!" calls Mommy. Well, dinosaurs don’t have dinnertimes! They eat whatever they like (gobble, crunch!), make a dreadful mess, and hate to take baths and wear pajamas (where would their tails go?). Dinosaurs are much too big to play nicely—they rampage and stomp around and knock things down! But maybe they’d listen to a bedtime story, if it’s ROARY. . . . With exuberant illustrations merging bedtime routines with a little boy’s fantasy world—and showing Mom’s role in both—this ode to dinosaurs, wild imaginations, and cleverly won bedtime snuggles is sure to get roars of approval from kids and parents alike.
32 pages, Hardcover
Published November 8, 2016
About the author
Timothy Knapman
219 books32 followersTimothy Knapman has written many books for children, including Mungo and the Picture Book Pirates, Dinosaurs in the Supermarket and Eleanor's Eyebrows. He also writes plays and co-writes musicals.
Timothy Knapman is available in a range of colours, and is washable.
Timothy Knapman is available in a range of colours, and is washable.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
March 6, 2017
"Dinnertime!" said Mommy.
"But dinosaurs don't HAVE dinnertimes!" said Mo.
"Really?" said Mommy. "They must get very hungry."
"They eat whenever they like," said Mo.
So starts this book, about an exhausted redhead mom living in a filthy house with her curly-haired redhead son.
The book opens with Mo playing on the floor with dinosaurs. He's scotch-taped dinosaurs to the houseplants. He's tied pterodactyls from the houseplants with yarn. He is wearing dinosaur slippers and a homemade dinosaur hat. A open bag of chips lies on the floor, crumbs scattered all over the carpet.
Mommy has just made two huge bowls of spaghetti and meatballs. She tries to carry them to the table while the terrier is jumping up on her.
She finally gets Mo to eat but he has the chair turned away from the table and he's eating very messily, noodles falling on the floor for the dog.
Fucking rude. Unacceptable behavior.
We see he is pretending he is a dinosaur.
"And do they ALWAYS make a terrible mess?"
"YES!"
We see the mom looking with amusement at a painting Mo has done on the wall with mud. At least, I hope it is mud and not something else. >.<
We see the mud painting on the wall, mud all over the floor, Mo is filthy, and he is pretending he is a dinosaur playing in mud.
"Bath time!" said Mommy.
"But dinosaurs don't have bath times!" said Mo.
"They must have dirty ears!" said Mommy.
We see Mo in the bathtub, squirting his mom in the face with a toy dinosaur. He is pretending to be a dinosaur swimming in the marsh.
We see the swamp and all the dinosaurs interacting on the next page in a beautiful two-page spread which features a pterodactyl eating a shellfish dinosaur of some kind, and a baby dinosaur hatching from an egg. Mo explains that dinosaurs roll around in muck and don't want to be clean.
We then see Mo running away naked from him mom, who is holding a dinosaur towel.
"Pajama time!" said Mommy.
"But dinosaurs don't WEAR pajamas!" said Mo.
We see his naked butt sticking out from where he's hiding.
She finally gets him in his pajamas and it's time for 'playtime' (what do you call what he's been doing ALL DAY!?!!?!). But Mo warns his mother that dinosaurs don't play nicely. And we see him pretending to be a dinosaur and jump on top of her, growling, and grabbing her nose.
It's milk time! Mo is blowing bubbles in his milk and making a mess. Mom is drinking milky coffee and probably desperately trying to hold onto the last shreds of her sanity.
We see that Mo is pretending to be a dinosaur on some volcanic fields, blowing lava out of his mouth.
Lastly, he argues with his mom about bedtime.
EL FIN
PROS
- Accurate description of a three-year-old's tunnel-vision on the thing they love and how they incorporate it into everyday activities.
- Accurate arguments you actually get from three-year-olds.
- Rich imagination with good illustration.
- Loving detail - such as all the dinosaur stuff Mo owns - throughout the book.
CONS:
- I may sound like a grumpy lady here, but where is the discipline? I can tolerate some three-year-old shenanigans, but some things in here would be unacceptable. Drawing on the wall with what is allegedly mud? I'd be furious. Not facing the dinner table during dinner? Unacceptable. The running around and roughhousing I'm fine with - kids will be kids - but allowing kids to do whatever the fuck they want is not okay. YOU are in charge, not the child.
A three-year-old should face the table while eating dinner. Even a three-year-old should know there are consequences to drawing on the wall. Even a three-year-old can be expected to pick up at least a bit of his mess (kids that young actually enjoy this sometimes).
Where's the Dad? Or spouse? Is he (she) not helping raise his (her) kid? That poor tired mom. And she's going to have to clean that whole disgusting, goshdarn mess the kid made after he went to bed. Alone. That house is filthy. Were did the kid even get 'mud' anyway!?!?!
Three-year-old kids will obviously be rambunctious and troublesome, and they are not good at following directions or routines. But I do believe there are certain standards you can expect for them, and you certainly can expect standards of behavior that they are capable of.
This is probably beside the whole point of the book, but I can't help thinking about this while watching the exhausted mom wrangle the boy and looking at her wrecked house. That's at least an hour or two of cleaning after Mo goes to bed.
- Another con is that Dyson really draws Mo to look unlikable. Smug, whiny, and bossy - his face is not attractive as he lords over his mom and is rude to her. This isn't cute.
Tl;dr - While this is a book that is rich with detailed pictures of a child's imagination - and accurately captures some of the arguments that three-year-olds employ - I simply can't help but think the mom needs to put her foot down in some areas. And I end up feeling really sorry for her, she looks so tired and her house is getting progressively messier and her son is an entitled little snot.
"But dinosaurs don't HAVE dinnertimes!" said Mo.
"Really?" said Mommy. "They must get very hungry."
"They eat whenever they like," said Mo.
So starts this book, about an exhausted redhead mom living in a filthy house with her curly-haired redhead son.
The book opens with Mo playing on the floor with dinosaurs. He's scotch-taped dinosaurs to the houseplants. He's tied pterodactyls from the houseplants with yarn. He is wearing dinosaur slippers and a homemade dinosaur hat. A open bag of chips lies on the floor, crumbs scattered all over the carpet.
Mommy has just made two huge bowls of spaghetti and meatballs. She tries to carry them to the table while the terrier is jumping up on her.
She finally gets Mo to eat but he has the chair turned away from the table and he's eating very messily, noodles falling on the floor for the dog.
Fucking rude. Unacceptable behavior.
We see he is pretending he is a dinosaur.
"And do they ALWAYS make a terrible mess?"
"YES!"
We see the mom looking with amusement at a painting Mo has done on the wall with mud. At least, I hope it is mud and not something else. >.<
We see the mud painting on the wall, mud all over the floor, Mo is filthy, and he is pretending he is a dinosaur playing in mud.
"Bath time!" said Mommy.
"But dinosaurs don't have bath times!" said Mo.
"They must have dirty ears!" said Mommy.
We see Mo in the bathtub, squirting his mom in the face with a toy dinosaur. He is pretending to be a dinosaur swimming in the marsh.
We see the swamp and all the dinosaurs interacting on the next page in a beautiful two-page spread which features a pterodactyl eating a shellfish dinosaur of some kind, and a baby dinosaur hatching from an egg. Mo explains that dinosaurs roll around in muck and don't want to be clean.
We then see Mo running away naked from him mom, who is holding a dinosaur towel.
"Pajama time!" said Mommy.
"But dinosaurs don't WEAR pajamas!" said Mo.
We see his naked butt sticking out from where he's hiding.
She finally gets him in his pajamas and it's time for 'playtime' (what do you call what he's been doing ALL DAY!?!!?!). But Mo warns his mother that dinosaurs don't play nicely. And we see him pretending to be a dinosaur and jump on top of her, growling, and grabbing her nose.
It's milk time! Mo is blowing bubbles in his milk and making a mess. Mom is drinking milky coffee and probably desperately trying to hold onto the last shreds of her sanity.
We see that Mo is pretending to be a dinosaur on some volcanic fields, blowing lava out of his mouth.
Lastly, he argues with his mom about bedtime.
EL FIN
PROS
- Accurate description of a three-year-old's tunnel-vision on the thing they love and how they incorporate it into everyday activities.
- Accurate arguments you actually get from three-year-olds.
- Rich imagination with good illustration.
- Loving detail - such as all the dinosaur stuff Mo owns - throughout the book.
CONS:
- I may sound like a grumpy lady here, but where is the discipline? I can tolerate some three-year-old shenanigans, but some things in here would be unacceptable. Drawing on the wall with what is allegedly mud? I'd be furious. Not facing the dinner table during dinner? Unacceptable. The running around and roughhousing I'm fine with - kids will be kids - but allowing kids to do whatever the fuck they want is not okay. YOU are in charge, not the child.
A three-year-old should face the table while eating dinner. Even a three-year-old should know there are consequences to drawing on the wall. Even a three-year-old can be expected to pick up at least a bit of his mess (kids that young actually enjoy this sometimes).
Where's the Dad? Or spouse? Is he (she) not helping raise his (her) kid? That poor tired mom. And she's going to have to clean that whole disgusting, goshdarn mess the kid made after he went to bed. Alone. That house is filthy. Were did the kid even get 'mud' anyway!?!?!
Three-year-old kids will obviously be rambunctious and troublesome, and they are not good at following directions or routines. But I do believe there are certain standards you can expect for them, and you certainly can expect standards of behavior that they are capable of.
This is probably beside the whole point of the book, but I can't help thinking about this while watching the exhausted mom wrangle the boy and looking at her wrecked house. That's at least an hour or two of cleaning after Mo goes to bed.
- Another con is that Dyson really draws Mo to look unlikable. Smug, whiny, and bossy - his face is not attractive as he lords over his mom and is rude to her. This isn't cute.
Tl;dr - While this is a book that is rich with detailed pictures of a child's imagination - and accurately captures some of the arguments that three-year-olds employ - I simply can't help but think the mom needs to put her foot down in some areas. And I end up feeling really sorry for her, she looks so tired and her house is getting progressively messier and her son is an entitled little snot.
May 9, 2017
That was so adorable. Like one of the cutest and best things, I've seen all week. Mo's mom is very patient. If Mo was my kid, I'd be a lot less nice. I'd probably say: "Well, sorry to crush your dreams but you're not a dinosaur, so do what I tell you." More to come in my wrapup.
August 3, 2016
Dinosaurs Don't Have Bedtimes!
Thank you to the publisher Walker books for my ARC (Advance Review Copy) which was sent to me free with no obligation to review.
My son loves Dinosaurs and one of his favourite book series is The Dinosaur That Pooped so he was really excited to have a new book read to him at bedtime when it first arrived a couple of weeks ago although slightly disappointed that there was no poop involved in the story!
The story is fun with lovely bright and detailed illustrations and centers around a little boy called Mo who grudgingly agrees to eat his supper, have a bath and eventually put on his pyjamas to go to bed but at first refuses as Dinosaurs don't have suppertimes or baths or wear pyjamas and his Mummy is silly for thinking that they would!
In between Mo refusing to do these things there are illustrations of his dinosaur counterpart not doing them with some really funny pictures. My son laughs each and every time at the towel pages and the rudy nudy Mo.
The book I have is paperback and measures approx 25cm by 27cm. There are 30 actual story pages in the book and each has a beautifully drawn colourful picture on them to keep your little ones attention. I would say that this book would be ideal for being read to 3 years old and upwards.
A really well thought out and illustrated book with a great fun storyline and my son insists on this being read most nights at bedtime now.
Thank you to the publisher Walker books for my ARC (Advance Review Copy) which was sent to me free with no obligation to review.
My son loves Dinosaurs and one of his favourite book series is The Dinosaur That Pooped so he was really excited to have a new book read to him at bedtime when it first arrived a couple of weeks ago although slightly disappointed that there was no poop involved in the story!
The story is fun with lovely bright and detailed illustrations and centers around a little boy called Mo who grudgingly agrees to eat his supper, have a bath and eventually put on his pyjamas to go to bed but at first refuses as Dinosaurs don't have suppertimes or baths or wear pyjamas and his Mummy is silly for thinking that they would!
In between Mo refusing to do these things there are illustrations of his dinosaur counterpart not doing them with some really funny pictures. My son laughs each and every time at the towel pages and the rudy nudy Mo.
The book I have is paperback and measures approx 25cm by 27cm. There are 30 actual story pages in the book and each has a beautifully drawn colourful picture on them to keep your little ones attention. I would say that this book would be ideal for being read to 3 years old and upwards.
A really well thought out and illustrated book with a great fun storyline and my son insists on this being read most nights at bedtime now.
December 20, 2016
This book is about bedtime, food, fun, dinosaurs and pretending. Together with fun illustrations(notice the strips in them and on the endpapers), this book will be a winner for children.
May 5, 2025
Dinosaurs don't have bedtimes...I KNEW IT! But little boys do - and mom knows what time that time is. A great book for the little 'dino' in your life who never wants to go to bed. After reading this book I think the perspective on bedtime will change...if you don't take time to sleep then sleep will take time away from you!
November 30, 2016
This book has great pictures, it is all things Dinosaurs. The dog is a funny addition to the pictures, and I saw a booty!!! The little boy is SO adorable. This would be a great one to read in a stroytime!!! This is a GREAT book!!!
February 16, 2017
Mo's mommy is a saint! This is a cute book.
Read
September 15, 2021This story was so precious! This story was about a little boy who needed to go to bed but was trying to convince his mom that he didn't need to because, of course, dinosaurs don't have bedtimes. This was a great mother and son relationship story because the mom is trying to talk to her son about dinosaurs, which he loves, while also trying to get him to bed. This was a silly story that I think the boys in the class would love to read but it could also be great for the whole class.
I love the illustrations in this book because I think that they depict the characters very well. They are more cartoon-like and everyone has very big cartoon eyes which I love; I think it makes the characters seem more friendly and loveable. I also loved the blue and green color scheme that the illustrator used to go along with the bedtime theme but also using pops of brighter shades to still keep it fun and playful.
I would love to have this story on my shelf in my classroom. While I don't see any educational use to it I think that this would be a fun end-of-the-day story to read to wind the class down before going home or just as a fun carpet read.
I love the illustrations in this book because I think that they depict the characters very well. They are more cartoon-like and everyone has very big cartoon eyes which I love; I think it makes the characters seem more friendly and loveable. I also loved the blue and green color scheme that the illustrator used to go along with the bedtime theme but also using pops of brighter shades to still keep it fun and playful.
I would love to have this story on my shelf in my classroom. While I don't see any educational use to it I think that this would be a fun end-of-the-day story to read to wind the class down before going home or just as a fun carpet read.
November 16, 2016
Maybe dinosaurs don’t have bedtimes, but little boys do. And what are you going to do when your little one wants to pretend he’s a dinosaur and can do everything a dinosaur can? This adorable new book helps answer that question and more.
December 16, 2016
I love the art in this, it's SUPER adorable.
December 15, 2016
A cute book about pretending to be a dinosaur
September 13, 2019
This joyous little book follows the imagination of Mo, a small boy, with his mommy as they go through their evening routine. Mo, who loves dinosaurs, makes up every excuses you can think of-all dinosaur themed of course-to get out of parts of his evening routine. Mo's mommy plays along, but will she get her little dinosaur to bed?
This book was absolutely wonderful and it's cute illustrations made it fun to read! This book is wonderful in its use of mother son connections and allows kids to relate to their own evening routines! However, it does have the potential to create a bit of mischief if kids love it too much!
In a classroom, this would be a great way to teach and get kids to understand what a routine is or a schedule. Listening could also be a lesson drawn from this book and why we shouldn't make excuses.
This book was absolutely wonderful and it's cute illustrations made it fun to read! This book is wonderful in its use of mother son connections and allows kids to relate to their own evening routines! However, it does have the potential to create a bit of mischief if kids love it too much!
In a classroom, this would be a great way to teach and get kids to understand what a routine is or a schedule. Listening could also be a lesson drawn from this book and why we shouldn't make excuses.
March 10, 2026
Jack and Dad borrowed this book from the library because he loves dinosaurs. It's a cute story about a little boy who tries to refute his mom's desires for him to go through his evening routine by saying that dinosaurs don't have to do the different things. It has adorable, funny parallel illustrations that show the boy and the dinosaur he imagines himself to be. Dad read it, and Jack hung on every word and smiled and giggled. At the end, when we said it was time to change his diaper, Jack exclaimed, "But dinosaurs don't do diaper change!" then smiled his cheeky smile. So, clearly, he got the concept.
December 20, 2016
This story about Mo, a little boy who likes to pretend he's a dinosaur, has cute pictures and shows wonderful imagination, but Mo is a brat. He makes huge messes that he doesn't help clean up, he's rude to his mother - and there are no consequences for these things. Even if it were changed a little bit with a line like "Dinosaurs love their mommies" or anything, it would help. Instead, his doting mother lets him do anything he likes without teaching him that some things are not okay. It just rubbed me the wrong way.
January 25, 2018
This book is about a little boy who really wants to act like a dinosaur. Every time his mom suggests something that he should do, such as go to bed, he tells her that dinosaurs don’t do that.
I will admit that this was not my favorite book. It did not have a lot of story to it, but the pictures were cute. It would be a good book for little kids who really like dinosaurs.
I would probably use this to read to a kindergarten class, especially if we were having a unit on dinosaurs. Because it used very simple language, it would be a good book to teach kids how to read.
I will admit that this was not my favorite book. It did not have a lot of story to it, but the pictures were cute. It would be a good book for little kids who really like dinosaurs.
I would probably use this to read to a kindergarten class, especially if we were having a unit on dinosaurs. Because it used very simple language, it would be a good book to teach kids how to read.
February 2, 2024
Yer another reason why I'm really glad not to be the mother of a dinosaur. They don't have bedtimes! Such a thought had never occurred to me.
However, the expression on that exuberant dinosaur pictured on the cover doesn't fool me. He may look and eat like a little dinosau, but that expression is a dead giveaway: A toddler in disguise.
On that basis I found this story very entertaining.
Dinosaurs rampage!'
They stomp around and
knock things down.
And yet they're so very loveable, these toddlers. (I mean, dinosaurs.)
Score this book with FIVE STARS.
However, the expression on that exuberant dinosaur pictured on the cover doesn't fool me. He may look and eat like a little dinosau, but that expression is a dead giveaway: A toddler in disguise.
On that basis I found this story very entertaining.
Dinosaurs rampage!'
They stomp around and
knock things down.
And yet they're so very loveable, these toddlers. (I mean, dinosaurs.)
Score this book with FIVE STARS.
November 28, 2020
Dinosaurs are BIG with children, as is the word "No!" They would love the supposed reinforcement charming book offers. The mother bides her time amid a welter of vivid and inventive excuses. A classic turnabout:
"But sometimes..." Mo yawned.
"They might just close their eyes.
And curl up tight and snuggle down...
But all of that's pretend."
"And do they have a night-night kiss? said Mummy.
"Roar! Roar! Roarrr."
Delightful.
"But sometimes..." Mo yawned.
"They might just close their eyes.
And curl up tight and snuggle down...
But all of that's pretend."
"And do they have a night-night kiss? said Mummy.
"Roar! Roar! Roarrr."
Delightful.
January 23, 2020
This was an ok book. This is a book more for the younger kids. While my 3 little kids thought this was a funny book, I thought that it lacked a little something. This is also a good book for bedtime. (Yes I know that it's in the Title.) Gets the kids laughing and then can also wind them down a little.
December 28, 2020
I think my son liked this story, but I didn't care much for the story or illustrations. The little boy argues with his mom over everything because dinosaurs don't do/have __, but I don't need to plant anymore rebellious ideas in my little boys' heads! It's not such a terrible book that I would never read it again, but I'm not excited about checking it out at the library in the future.
May 18, 2021
Cute book with a little boy who doesn’t want to do all the activities mom says to do (dinner time, bath time, bedtime) because he believes that dinosaurs don’t. The illustrations switch back and forth between the dinosaur the boy is imagining himself to be and his real human form. Nikki Dyson’s art is a terrific match for this upbeat bedtime story.
January 22, 2017
A cute little book about a little boy who loves dinosaurs and doesn't want to do things when Mommy tells him because dinosaurs do things when they want. I love the illustrations more than the story. Kids will love it though.
August 19, 2019
i basically hate dino books and i was hoping to like this one. i thought this book is basically a cop out for kids so that they do not have to do what they should do. but dinos don't take a bath, but dinos don't have a bedtime... etc. but kids DO! so there!
July 12, 2020
Dinosaurs don’t do that mummy!
Depending on your views, this might be about a nightmare child who ruins and messes up your home!
But could be a touching story about the imagination of a child.
Very well crafted illustrations
Depending on your views, this might be about a nightmare child who ruins and messes up your home!
But could be a touching story about the imagination of a child.
Very well crafted illustrations
May 20, 2017
Cute bedtime book
August 8, 2017
Cute story about a child that acts like he's a dinosaur. Beautiful artwork with big pictures that are perfect for Storytime
January 17, 2018
Cute bedtime story about a little boy who wants to be a dinosaur, and almost pulls it off.
February 15, 2018
Mo, a toddler who likes dinosaurs and his patient mother who deals with his back an forth of what dinosaurs will and will not do as they proceed through the day until bedtime. A tale of imagination.
July 5, 2018
Was a really cute and adorable book to read to my son before his nap.
August 2, 2018
Love this book and will use it again in storytime
August 4, 2018
It was okay. Cute illustrations, story was so-so.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews