How Do Dinosaurs Learn to Read?

How Do Dinosaurs...?

by Jane Yolen, Mark Teague (Illustrator)

America's favorite dinosaurs romp and roar as they soak books in the bathtub, throw them, and finally learn how to enthusiastically -- and carefully -- read them...with Mama and Papa at bedtime. Get ready to laugh at this lighthearted, heartwarming, and funny approach to books! Children sometimes feel the task of learning to read is overwhelming, but the winning combination of rhyme and illustrations here provide a perfect way to present the subject in a comical, engaging, and nonjudgmental way. The contrast of enormous dinosaurs in kid-sized bedrooms (with human parents) adds irresistible humor as families explore the do's and don'ts of reading. Both practical and engaging, this book shows dinosaurs getting into all sorts of reading-related trouble! But of course, in the end, the dinosaurs learn how to carefully handle their books, read out loud, and read a lot!Each book in the endlessly popular How Do Dinosaurs series is a combination of childish antics followed by a gentle lesson -- with over 14.5 million books in print. This book, the twelfth, ends with pages designed to get your own little dinosaur excited about learning to read -- especially this Dinosaur!

Genres: Picture Books, Dinosaurs, Childrens, Storytime, Fiction, Animals, Books About Books

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Jane Yolen is a novelist, poet, fantasist, journalist, songwriter, storyteller, folklorist, and children’s book author who has written more than three hundred books. Her accolades include the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, three Mythopoeic Awards, the Kerlan Award, two Christopher Awards, and six honorary doctorate degrees from colleges and universities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Born and raised in New York City, the mother of three and the grandmother of six, Yolen lives in Massachusetts and St. Andrews, Scotland.

Reviews

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book answers the question that all little kids have about how dinosaurs learn to read.

All in rhyme, of course.

[Théo d'Or]

I suppose they start with something light, like " How Do Dinosaurs Learn To Fart In A Minor, Allegro Energico, Ma Non Troppo ".

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book that teaches children how to treat books.

[RJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A+, 100 stars. Rhyming lines, big colorful illustrations, dinosaurs WITH FEATHERS!!!, pro-literacy message, information for parents in the back about how to start sounding out words. The question format (e.g. "does a dinosaur lose her temper and throw books at the cat?") had all of my kids in storytime shouting "NO!!!!" on every page, which they loved.

[Becky Loader · Rating 4 out of 5]

So lovely. Little dinosaurs learn to read just like little kids do!

Such great illustrations of "baby" dinosaurs going about life with their parents and pets! I am glad to see they like to eat popcorn while practicing their reading.

[Nancy]

Wasn't as good as I was hoping!

[Bridget R. Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just how does a dinosaur learn to read? Yolen explores this question with delightful speculation and ultimately teaches you what you should and shouldn’t do while reading.

What I thought: I love Yolen’s Dinosaur series, but as a librarian, I am especially fond of this title. Yolen’s lyrical prose is wonderful. The book is almost a song. Teague’s illustrations are deliciously realistic. These are not cartoon dinosaurs, but real dinosaurs.

[Dolly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very short book that's all about reading. It's a great book to read at bedtme, especially with younger children. It is too young for our girls, so I just read it myself while waiting for a flight. Nice addition to the series.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My children and I love these books by Jane Yolen. They find it hilarious that the dinosaurs are just like normal kids with human parents. Never a dull read!

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I received a copy of this book from the publisher at ALA Annual 2019. I've also received an F&G from the publisher at an ALA conference.

[Kalynne]

Storytime- 12 kids ages 4-5
Book one (2-3 minutes): Dinosaurs Dinosaurs by Byron Barton
Book two (2-3 minutes): How Do Dinosaurs Learn to Read by Jane Yolen
Song/Rhyme/Game (3-4 minutes):
I'm a mean old dinosaur BIG and Tall (make a mean face) (wide arms and then tall)
Here's my tail And here's my claws (point to your tail)(make claws with your hands).
When I get all hungry Hear me ROAR (rub stomach) (roar loudly with dinosaur claws)
Run, hide, And shut the door (put hands in front of face whilst racing on the spot) (clap loudly)
Book three (5-8 minutes): We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan Higgins
Song/Rhyme/Game one (3-4 minutes): Move like a…
Triceratops
Brontosaurus
Tyrannosaurus
Pterosaurs
Ankylosaurus
Discussion on dinosaurs what they look like what they do so how would they move around
Book four (5-8 minutes): If the Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most
Special Signs: dinosaur, roar, big, egg, bite
Activity to take home: Dinosaur figures with playdough for fossil impressions
https://csicdn.kiwico.com/v3/assets/b...


Storytime 50 kids ages 0-5

Book one (3-4 minutes): Dinosaurs Dinosaurs by Byron Barton

Song/rhyme/game one (3-4 minutes): Dino Ditty

Here’s tyrannosaurus just a stompin’ with his feet (stomp feet)
Singing “Dino ditty, ditty, dum ditty do.” (continue stomping, then clap)
Searchin’ for something good to eat (shade eyes and look)
Singin’ “Dino ditty, ditty, dum ditty do.” (stomp feet, then clap)
He’s big! (make a big motion, group repeats).
He’s strong! (flex arms, group repeats)
Won’t be hungry very long. (shake head)
“Dino ditty, ditty, dum ditty do…” (stomp feet, then clap)

Switch out dinosaur names, ankylosaurus, brachiosaurus, triceratops. Wag butt for ankylosaurus, stretch arms up for brachiosaurus, wag head for triceratops

Book two (3-4 minutes): Tyrannosaurus Wrecks! By Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

Song/rhyme/game two (3-4 minutes): The Jellyfish Song by GoNoodle with ribbon bracelets

Book three (3-4 minutes): Prehistoric Actual Size by Steve Jenkins

Song/ rhyme/ game three (3-4 minutes): Dinosaur Measuring (differnt dinosaurs, measure out length with tape measurer. (Didn't go well kids got too excited, maybe for a smaller group)

Book Four (3-4 minutes): How do Dinosaurs Learn to Read by Jane Yolen

Special Signs: dinosaur, roar, egg, bite

Craft: https://csicdn.kiwico.com/v3/assets/b... (very popular)

[Charity]

Summary:
This book starts off by asking many questions about how dinosaurs treat books and how they learn to read. It asks things about the care, upkeep, and reading of books. The dinosaurs are aggressive and tear the books apart in their own ways, but then the book continues by addressing that is not how dinosaurs should learn how to read. It describes how to treat books with care and how to learn to read them by sounding out the words and using the help of the people around them. At the end of the book, it provides ways of teaching children how to read by sing letters, small words, and encouragement.

Analysis:
This book was written very well and has lots of fun details in the drawing to coincide with what is happening in the questions and the written materials. It is funny and shows children how to respect books and how the damaging of them is not good. I think it is a great starting point for children to learn to read because it's fun, has lots of colors, and is intriguing.

Classroom ideas:
I think this book can be used really well in a class that is beginning to learn how to read. It is encouraging and funny, and a teacher would be able to use the dinosaurs' examples to teach children about how to treat books and encourage them to read and enjoy it.

[Isabel Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jane Yolen and Mark Teague are at it again. They've created more dinosaur magic with their latest storybook, How Do Dinosaurs Learn to Read? This book follows the same formula as the books that preceded it in their beloved dinosaur series. At first, the dinos exhibit silly, laughable misdeeds as the author imagines the many things they could but shouldn't do. Then, there is a shift and the author shows readers the good and proper behaviors that the dinos are actually exhibiting. This formula is genius because it subtly shows children how to act by example...I love it! In How Do Dinosaurs Learn to Read? young readers will eagerly flip through the pages to see how their dino friends read books; then they'll likely be motivated to read as the dinos do. This book would make a perfect readaloud at the beginning of the school year for preschoolers and kindergartners when young minds are at their best and ready to learn new skills.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This creative team clearly loves dinosaurs, and those illustrations perfectly depict them in all their unique glory. As they have done in their earlier books, the author and illustrator tackle the challenges of learning to read. It's certainly not something that always happens easily, and the text and images depict some of the struggles and frustrations as well as serving as a primer for how to treat books until eventually, as is clear here, books become a child's best friend. Back matter includes tips about reading aloud and learning letter sounds and rhyming words. As readers come to the end of the book, they just might feel reassured that if dinosaurs can learn to read and start to love to read, then maybe, just maybe, they can too. This encouraging message about literacy made me smile even with all those dinosaur antics.

[Jamie Jessup · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the way that this book teaches students good reading habits! Sometimes it can be hard to get students into the habit of practicing good reading habits, so I would read this book to younger students to help them develop those habits. Reading out loud, sounding out words, and not giving up are really important skills for young readers to master and a lot of them will need help when it comes to reading and understand the content. I would read this book out loud to the class and then ask them to come up with some good reading habits that we can all use when we are reading. I would most likely use this book in kindergarten and first grade classrooms, because those are the grades where reading is first starting to develop and it is the most important to instill those good habits.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a STRONG counterargument to my assertion that an 8-page "book" couldn't be more than three-stars at BEST. It easily could have been FIVE stars!!

So, what's wrong?

Frankly, the page limit means it's both short and low-quality. I mean, for the printing quality, it's decent, but this thing is NOT going to weather lots of younger readers' handling it. My copy is only in such good condition because whoever put it in the free library put in EIGHT COPIES of it, and I'm not sure if that was the original number or not. It's almost certainly better off as a board book than "paperback."

OTHERWISE, totally adorable, and a cute story to encourage young dinosaurs to read!

[Serenity · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through my district library services*

I was absolutely delighted to find this book, and I can't wait to share it with my students. I was surprised when I came to add it to my Goodreads list that it has been in print since 2003. How did I never see it before?

Anyway, like all the How Do... books, the Yolen walks us through some not so good behaviors, then through some positive behaviors. This book is a little different because it is followed by a little back matter advising parents how to help their kids read. As always, Teague's illustrations are adorable, the rhyming text is fun, and it provides opportunity for discussion.

[McKenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Genre: Fiction
Age: K - 3
Illustrations: I really liked they were really colorful, and portrayed the dinosaurs doing normal things very well.
Gist: This book is about how dinosaurs read. First it starts off by going through all the different ways that dinosaurs could read. By through the books around, getting frustrated and giving up. But you end up figuring out that dinosaurs do not read like that. They respect each and every book with care making sure to read it in their bed or at a desk.
Curriculum Connection: This would be great to teacher kids how to respect books and handle them properly.

[Kelsey Rice · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the wondering how a dinosaur reads. does he sound out words or does he skip the hard words? This book ends with dinosaurs being nice to the books and wanting to read more. I thought this was such a cute book! It is not my favorite picture book but I loved the illustrations. I liked how their were more than just one dinosaur and they were different on every page. I think this book could be used in teaching how to treat books. Also, I think it could be used to talk about different dinosaurs. It would be a really fun book for young kids.

[Amy Erwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Summary - This book is about the humorous ways in which a dinosaur could learn to read. The book follows different dinosaurs before their bedtime story.

Review - This was a Triple Crown book. I thought the story was cute as it rhymes throughout. "Does he sound out the words? Or just take a quick look? Does she lose her huge temper, then jump on the book?" The back of the book also includes "about reading" which gives tips. The illustrations are inviting.


Classroom -
1) Reading is fun
2) Anyone can learn to read
3) Rhyming words
4) Learning how to read.
5) ELL students

[Kaylee Aulenbacher · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was about the different dinosaurs and how they may react to a book that was hard to read or understand. At the end of the book it says how the dinosaurs should actually behave and treat the book.

I think this book was okay, it rhymed and showed how to treat a book well but there was no real story to it.

I would use this book for two things, one to teach about the different dinosaurs that used to be here to with a science lesson, and two for a rhyming book. each page is a new rhyme and this can help the students understand it more.

[Kris Dersch · Rating 4 out of 5]

I will admit this series is wearing a little thin with me but this one wasn't a bad installment for a couple of reasons. First of all, were the dinosaurs always labeled or is that new? Either way, it's the first time I'd noticed it and I liked that touch. Also, good back matter on reading for parents and kids with sight words. (It does point out that rhymes are good for early readers and all these books rhyme, but it's forgiven because these are good rhyming picture books.) Overall, a good choice for my emerging reader.

[Kate M. Colby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jack borrowed this book from the Oxford Public Library. I picked it because he loves dinosaurs and enjoyed another book from this series, which we heard during a library story time.

As expected, he was interested in the dinosaurs on the cover, so I picked it up to read this afternoon. He was thrilled to see the dinosaurs and books, but his favorite part was their tongues, which hung out of their mouths in concentration or frustration. He kept exclaiming, "Tongue!" and pointing them out whenever he saw them.

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great for encouraging young kids to learn to read, how to take care of books, and the back includes great tips for adults to work with their kids on reading.

I can see a lot of teachers/librarians using this for back to school mindset discussions, but also upper elementary teachers could use this to talk about how to read during silent sustained reading. Great discussion prompts about actually reading, what to do, what not to do, etc.

[H · Rating 3 out of 5]

While not my favorite of the How Do Dinosaurs books, I so appreciated the different pronouns and how it alternated between “he” and “she.” It gets really tiring when every character/pronoun in every picture book, even the ones about animals or dinosaurs or trucks, is masculine, especially when there’s no reason for it. So I loved that this one was willing to branch out of the norm and embrace dinosaurs, both well behaved and not, that were boys AND girls. :)

[Tara Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Yolen's series of "How Do Dinosaurs?". This book is no exception. It says in the Goodreads description that it is only six pages, but our library's copy is much longer than that. Maybe a second version of it that was released? (Has a different cover as well). Exceptional series for anyone that wants to hold their child's attention and also teach them good manners and how to respect property that doesn't belong to them.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've read one, you've read them all but that's not to say they aren't lovely and catchy. I can see this being a useful 'library tour storytime' book as it goes through all the not-to-dos. The end notes on this one are pretty fantastic as they give young readers some reading strategy. Illustrations, as always, are vivid and fun.

[Rebecca Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a great selection for preschool and kindergarten ages. Although I am a librarian, I really don't agree with some of the lines in this book for personal book (although it is a good guide for how to treat borrowed books). I know lots of kids who read on the potty as part of learning to be potty trained or in the bathtub with the water-proof books etc.

[Pug · Rating 2 out of 5]

I notice that this book is a part of a series... which may help explain why it was so weak. I picked it up because of the colorful dinosaurs, expecting it to be funny because they were reading a book! I should have known after the first stanza that it was going to be a rhyming book (I really hate those). The illustrations were mildly amusing, but the whole "story" was stupid.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is cute and silly. As an elementary school librarian my students love these books. I especially like this one because its directly how we should not treat books and as we read we can say what the correct thing to do is. Which is a great reminder for children anytime of the school year. Thank you for making this book!