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Buying, Training, and Caring for Your Dinosaur
A hilarious guide to having a dinosaur . . . as a pet!
Dogs are delightful. Cats are cute. And fish are fun. But the best pet of all is . . . a DINOSAUR!
But how do you pick the dino that’s right for you? Spiky? Armored? Humongous? Pea-brained? Plant-eater? How do you take care of him once he’s (gulp!) home? How do you feed him, exercise him, take him to the vet, and give him a bath?! Not to mention train him, since he might like to chew on—er, swallow—Mom’s new shoes.
Full of little-known info and sage advice, this definitive guide to dino ownership is sure to thrill and delight kids everywhere!
Dogs are delightful. Cats are cute. And fish are fun. But the best pet of all is . . . a DINOSAUR!
But how do you pick the dino that’s right for you? Spiky? Armored? Humongous? Pea-brained? Plant-eater? How do you take care of him once he’s (gulp!) home? How do you feed him, exercise him, take him to the vet, and give him a bath?! Not to mention train him, since he might like to chew on—er, swallow—Mom’s new shoes.
Full of little-known info and sage advice, this definitive guide to dino ownership is sure to thrill and delight kids everywhere!
40 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2009
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 27, 2014
Super cute idea for a children's book. Instead of the ultimate guide to buying, training, and caring for the perfect dog for you, it is a guide to getting a pet dinosaur! The book goes through different types of dinosaurs and creatively explains how to train and care for each of them. From taking them to school to bathing them, this book has it all.
What I really enjoyed about this book was how playful it was. It is very relatable to children because of its playfulness. Children go to school, bath, and eat certain things so it makes sense (to children) that dinosaurs would do the same, even though they really would not go to school. However, the author did take in to account the type of dinosaur that she was describing and based the story and the explanations around that. Overall it was a very cute book!
What I really enjoyed about this book was how playful it was. It is very relatable to children because of its playfulness. Children go to school, bath, and eat certain things so it makes sense (to children) that dinosaurs would do the same, even though they really would not go to school. However, the author did take in to account the type of dinosaur that she was describing and based the story and the explanations around that. Overall it was a very cute book!
August 21, 2022
“I like it times infinity” -Ella
May 16, 2018
This is a very cute advice book on how to pick the right dinosaur as a pet.
May 2, 2019
Cute, but better for a one-on-one than a storytime situation. There's just enough fine print to be too complex.
August 28, 2020
It’s a fun book to read, but wouldn’t entertain younger kids.
January 6, 2010
This book does just what the title suggests: it advises the reader on how to select the best dinosaur for your home, how to take care of it, and how to train it. The first part of the book gives details on various "breeds" of dinosaur. The rest of the book examines the ins and outs of dealing with the dinosaur once you own it.
The first part of the book was not that exciting - I mostly skimmed over the details about the various "breeds." The second part, however, was rather enjoyable. I really started liking the book when I got to the part about teaching your dinosaur to Heel: "Unfortunately, there are times when Dino doesn't feel the tug [on the leash:]. Like when the neighbor's cat races by. Or the neighbor's dog. Or the neighbor's car. Oh well." It reminded me of my dog. And when I realized that trying to take care of a dinosaur is a lot like trying to take care of our rather large dog, suddenly the book became funny. People who have not had the experience of walking a dog who weighs more than you do, however, might not find it as amusing as I did.
Overall, this book had its moments. But mostly I wasn't enamored of it.
The first part of the book was not that exciting - I mostly skimmed over the details about the various "breeds." The second part, however, was rather enjoyable. I really started liking the book when I got to the part about teaching your dinosaur to Heel: "Unfortunately, there are times when Dino doesn't feel the tug [on the leash:]. Like when the neighbor's cat races by. Or the neighbor's dog. Or the neighbor's car. Oh well." It reminded me of my dog. And when I realized that trying to take care of a dinosaur is a lot like trying to take care of our rather large dog, suddenly the book became funny. People who have not had the experience of walking a dog who weighs more than you do, however, might not find it as amusing as I did.
Overall, this book had its moments. But mostly I wasn't enamored of it.
October 8, 2010
Super-cute! What a great idea for a childrens book too! As soon as I spied this in the library I knew I had to have it and I saw another Mom eyeing it too so I had to inch my way over while not targeting it. I succeeded!
This is what it says it is - a guide for buying, training, and caring for your new dino.
We start by learning what kind of dino is right for us. The guide next goes into "starting off right" which encompasses the right food and items needed like leashes and beds, etc. Next comes the trainging. This is probably the funniest part in the book.
After this there are a number of smaller lessons like bathing, exercising, education, etc.
The book of course features mostly well known dinos but if I remember correctly I did see a few of the lesser known thrown in.
REALLy cute for all dino loving kids and it's a blast to read to!
This is what it says it is - a guide for buying, training, and caring for your new dino.
We start by learning what kind of dino is right for us. The guide next goes into "starting off right" which encompasses the right food and items needed like leashes and beds, etc. Next comes the trainging. This is probably the funniest part in the book.
After this there are a number of smaller lessons like bathing, exercising, education, etc.
The book of course features mostly well known dinos but if I remember correctly I did see a few of the lesser known thrown in.
REALLy cute for all dino loving kids and it's a blast to read to!
December 8, 2013
My five-year-old son picked this book out from the local library this week.
I really liked the idea of this book; I just wasn't quite as excited about the execution. To me (and my five-year-old), this book would have worked better with broader strokes and stronger humor. The tiny details were annoying for me to read, and for my son to sit through, and some of the humor was far to subtle for the picture book crowd.
The illustrations in this book were OK. I liked them about as much as I like any of Marc Brown's illustrations.
I really liked the idea of this book; I just wasn't quite as excited about the execution. To me (and my five-year-old), this book would have worked better with broader strokes and stronger humor. The tiny details were annoying for me to read, and for my son to sit through, and some of the humor was far to subtle for the picture book crowd.
The illustrations in this book were OK. I liked them about as much as I like any of Marc Brown's illustrations.
November 21, 2009
Line to remember here "librarians don't always like dinos".
Personally, I've been bored with them on a personal level since my school went on one too many trips to the American Museum of Natural History, and on a professional level since around 1987 or so.
But the Marc Brown art is colorful and fun, the text is good and the kids will like this. And it's for the kids, not for me, isn't it?
Personally, I've been bored with them on a personal level since my school went on one too many trips to the American Museum of Natural History, and on a professional level since around 1987 or so.
But the Marc Brown art is colorful and fun, the text is good and the kids will like this. And it's for the kids, not for me, isn't it?
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November 1, 2013This humorous guide covers all the important points of having a pet dinosaur. The helpful handbook is full of valuable tips on choosing the dino which will be best for your family, teaching your dino tricks, the care of feeding of dino, and more. This book will be a hit with every kid who would like to have a very large pet reptile.
October 4, 2009
Funny, especially the first section about choosing the right dinosaur for you. (Diplodocus: "Small head so that even though you can't let Diplo sleep in your bed [Mom's rules:], she can rest her head on your pillow once the lights are out.")
January 5, 2010
Just for fun! =) I think this will work as a read-aloud... maybe a 2nd grade class or one-on-one? I think younger kids will enjoy it but they may not "get" it. It's non-narrative--silly and cute with bold illustrations, and requires a sense of humor from the reader/listener.
August 9, 2016
Although this was recommended to me as a potential storytime selection, I think it will work better as a one on one read-aloud. There are lots of little details and asides that I think will be difficult to deliver in a group setting. Maybe I could use selections for a storytime.
July 19, 2014
This book starts off with information about different dinosaurs so you can pick which one fits you (Horned Triceratops, Ginormous Diplodocus, Winged Pteranodon, Spiny Spinosaurus, and Sharp-toothed T-Rex). Then it tells you how to train and care for it.
November 13, 2014
Although flying reptiles are included in this dinosaur book, I still like it. Pteranodon and Quetsalcoatlus are flying repitles NOT dinosaurs. Other than that, it's a great book to read to a younger audience and help them learn about the different dinosaurs.
December 28, 2009
Not as good as Dinopets, but for older kids, and with more humor and information. It is not a good read-aloud, but would be entertaining for a lap-read for a dinosaur enthusiast.
December 29, 2009
An imaginative read and how to guide for choosing and caring for the future dinosaur in your life!
May 8, 2010
A funny choice for older preschoolers.
June 22, 2010
A fun and enjoyable book for kids who are obsessed with dinosaurs (like mine!). My 6-year-old loved it.
November 6, 2012
Clever idea and everything about this is cute and funny. I smiled from cover to cover. Everyone who worked on this should be very proud.
January 13, 2014
Not really a storytime book, but cute if you have some one-on-one time with a child that loves dinosaurs. Reads like an owner's manual with LOTS of color.
Keywords: dinosaurs, pet ownership
Keywords: dinosaurs, pet ownership
October 7, 2014
my gosh. just the cutest little book I've ever read and knowledgeable.
November 14, 2014
i locked this book it was so cute to read to my kids at the boys and girls club and i very much enjoyed it.
April 25, 2015
The sense of humor went over the heads of most of my kindergarten students, but it's almost worth it for the kids who get it and laugh out loud through the whole thing.
January 21, 2016
Illustrations are nothing special. The story tries really hard to be fresh and cute, but I found it a little tedious. (Maybe I've just read too many dinosaur books.)
January 28, 2016
Nathan said that he would buy a triceratops for a good watch dino and a troodon because they are easy to train.
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March 16, 2010Cute way for kids to learn about dinosaurs1
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews