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Happy Hatchday

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The first book in a cracking series about the loveable Dinosaur Juniors, from the creative genius behind the #DrawWithRob phenomenon and the bestselling and award-winning Blown Away!


A creatively cretaceous story about first steps and new friends, and the first book in the Dinosaur Junior series! From the bestselling and multi-award-winnning Rob Biddulph, creator of the internet phenomenon Draw With Rob. As seen on YouTube, FaceBook, Instagram, CBeebies and TV news everywhere, and the Waterstones Book Prize-winning Blown Away!!


Meet Otto, Winnie, Greg(osaurus) and all the other dinosaur juniors, as they traverse life’s first ups and downs – all in Rob’s trademark rhyme filled with warmth and humour.


This first book is perfect for Rob’s youngest fans, with colourful, detailed artwork and a simple rhyming text perfect for reading aloud.

32 pages, Paperback

First published April 5, 2018

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5 stars
29 (29%)
4 stars
33 (33%)
3 stars
28 (28%)
2 stars
6 (6%)
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2 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for Leilah Skelton.
152 reviews39 followers
April 1, 2018
A bear with no 'Grrrrr', a penguin displaced,
Imaginary friends, canine dreams being chased...
His output is varied, his rise meteoric,
I'm THRILLED to report that he's gone PREHISTORIC.
A mammoth achievement
It's (tricera)tops
(Veloci)rapturous applause
Biddulph’s ticked every box...

For younger fans, this is the story of Greg
A late-hatcher newly emerged from his egg.
One week behind seems a hard hill to clamber
When friendships look tighter than insects in amber.
Their hobbies. Their games.
All paired up. Interlinked.
Is Greg's bid for friendship
Already EXTINCT...?

It's stylish and bold – a feast for the eyes.
There's counting, and spotting, a great big SURPRISE…
Rob Biddulph's a talent whose style never wearies
So lucky for us, here’s book ONE of a SERIES!
Each Dinosaur Junior
We'll come across'll
Endure through the ages -
Like a book-shaped fossil.
Profile Image for Barbara.
15.6k reviews321 followers
May 8, 2019
Nine dinosaur eggs are ready to hatch, and eight of them hatch at roughly the same time. But Greg, the ninth one, emerges from his egg about a week after the others. In rhyming text, the story follows the eager young fellow as he tries to join the others in their activities. But it quickly becomes clear that there isn't really a place for Greg as all their alliances have formed based on shared interests or personalities. Just when Greg feels at his lowest point, the others have a surprise for him, and he doesn't feel quite so bad, after all. Brightly-colored illustrations complement a story with which many youngsters can relate. After all, it can be hard to be the new kid in a classroom or the one that arrives after everyone has settled into a routine. Although we celebrate birthdays, why not call them hatchdays as is done here? While there's positively no truth in the activities in which these young dinosaurs are engaging, the book is still fun to read.
Profile Image for gem.
758 reviews20 followers
April 2, 2018
I have loved Rob’s illustrations since I first saw Blown Away whilst reading the longlist for the waterstones Childrens book prize several years ago, and since then I’ve not only adored his other books but the post-it note illustrations he does for his daughter’s lunchbox each day!
Happy Hatchday is simply wonderful; it’s bold, bright and inteaceh drawn without being overwhelming. I still have my fave dinosaur books from when I was a child and I can perfectly imagine this book becoming a firm favourite with children and parents everywhere. I’m so excited that this is going to be a series, the little dinosaurs are such fun characters I can’t wait to see what happens in the next book.
I will be buying this for myself because I have a huge collection of picture books despite not having children yet (ha, all the more books for me!), and then for all my friends who have children!
Profile Image for Mrs Mommy Booknerd http://mrsmommybooknerd.blogspot.com.
2,252 reviews92 followers
May 15, 2019
A darling book about the ninth and final dinosaur to hatch. Greg is having a hard time figuring out where he fits in. It seems the others have paired off and this has left him feeling left out and a bit lonely. He is not sure where is life will lead him, when all of sudden there is a shift that shows little Greg that is a place for him after all and it is perfect! A sweet story with rhyming text and bright and colorful illustrations that allow new and emergent readers to follow along while they learn the words! Adorable!
Profile Image for Mandy.
1,856 reviews31 followers
June 7, 2019
Children's picture book. A cute story celebrating the hatching of 9 dinosaurs. Eight eggs hatched together, and one, our protagonist Greg(osaurus) hatched a week later. That's just enough time for everybody to find a buddy and play, with no room for Greg. In the vein of several classic stories, Greg discovers that all of the other dinosaurs were actually getting ready for his Hatchday celebration. First in a series. Illustrations are simple but fun and colorful while text averages about 4 lines to page.
Profile Image for Villain E.
4,234 reviews22 followers
May 3, 2020
There are nine eggs. Eight hatch.
They're mostly different species of dinosaurs, except for one woolly mammoth. A week later the ninth one hatches. The new guy, who acts and talks like he's at least seven years old, goes looking for the others, but they've all already paired off and are doing activities. New guy feels left out. But it turns out all the activities his siblings (?) are doing are to construct a hatchday party for the new guy. Told in very poorly paced rhyme.

*record scratch*
Did you say a woolly mammoth hatched from an egg?
Yes. Yes I did.
Profile Image for Book Grocer.
1,181 reviews39 followers
October 1, 2020
Purchase Happy Hatchday here for just $10!

Beginner readers will be captivated by this sweet story about Greg, who feels left out and lonely after being the last of nine dinosaurs to hatch. What he doesn't realise is that his siblings are planning a special party for the "late-hatcher"... It's a beautifully illustrated story told in rhyming text that's funny and has a wonderful surprise ending.

Paul - The Book Grocer
157 reviews
September 12, 2019
Cute picture book! There are a lot of things you can take from this book, but I really liked one message in particular. Greg hatches late and as he moves about he sees all his siblings doing other things and feels left out. It's really neat that at the end, he realizes that he misread the situation and sees he was on their minds all along. I love that message for kids, adults, and anyone in between
Profile Image for Angel McGregor.
Author 19 books18 followers
June 9, 2018
A beautifully illustrated and fantastically written story about finding your own path in life. The little dinosaur juniors will have you smiling from the moment their eggs crack to the turn of the last page! And if you don't love Greg then you need to reread it all over again because you must have read it wrong the first time!!
20 reviews
February 17, 2021
I enjoyed this book a lot. After reading it for 4 days, I knew all the lines by heart.

The final page of the book - High five, fist bumps, big hug, applause became a fun thing my mother and I do even now.

I find Martin very funny because he is still partly in the egg. This is one of my favourite books.

Profile Image for Monica H (TeaandBooks).
927 reviews86 followers
Read
July 4, 2019
Fun rhyme. Brightly illustrated cute pictures. Adorable story and start to a new book series. We loved it!

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in a sweepstakes. I was not required to write a review.
Profile Image for A Severs.
242 reviews25 followers
November 4, 2019
I'm generally a fan of Biddulph's vivid visuals but the story in this one wasn't as strong.
Profile Image for Thalia S. A..
Author 0 books3 followers
July 27, 2021
A very nice book. It's a great children's book, with wonderful illustrations. The only thing that puzzles me, is that how do one of the eggs have a mammoth inside? Though overall, amazing book.
Profile Image for Anthony.
7,639 reviews34 followers
May 5, 2025
See what happens in this rhyming tale about nine dinosaur eggs, and the one named Gregosaurus, Greg for short, hatches a week later than the others.
Profile Image for Kate.
4 reviews
March 17, 2020
Woolly mammoth's are mammals therefore do not hatch out of eggs. This book is factually inept. Will only appeal to people who want their children to be ignorant.
Profile Image for Kayleigh Farey .
143 reviews14 followers
February 18, 2018
From the second I saw the endpapers, I knew I was in for a treat with Rob Biddulph’s latest title – which very excitingly is the first in a new series! Filled with beautiful illustrations (dinosaurs, what’s not to love?!) and fun rhyming verse which is perfect for reading aloud, Happy Hatchday is a cute story all about the adorable Greg and his hatchday surprise as he tries to join in with the other dinosaurs. As an older reader I loved reading this one, and I know that younger readers will be no different!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews