The Dirty Great Dinosaur

by Martin Waddell

The Dirty Great Dinosaur is going to eat anything in his way! Only Hal (and his little dog Billy) can stop the hungry beastie, because they know just how to calm that Dirty Great Dinosaur down.

Genres: Picture Books, Dinosaurs, Storytime, Childrens, Animals, Food, Humor

32 pages, Paperback

First published March 5, 2009

About the author

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_W...

Also writes under the pen name Catherine Sefton

Martin Waddell is the author of more than one hundred books for young readers.

Awards: Hans Christian Andersen Award for Writing (2004).

Reviews

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

What do you feed a super hungry dinosaur? Why, spaghetti and meatballs, of course. But first you have to tie him up with your garden hose. Yep. Hal and his little dog Billy are able to escape the clutches of the hungry dinosaur and use the trusty garden hose to tie him up. And there is a mess to clean up in that back yard. Who will do it? The dinosaur, of course. Pick up this adorable picture book and see how Hal and Billy save their family -- and make a new friend.

[Belinda Vlasbaard · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,5 sterren - Nederlandse hardcover

Naar mijn kleine dinosaurus "lover" Jayden. Dan kan mama hem voorlezen.

[Aisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book by Martin Waddell utilizes Leonie Lord’s cute and cuddly illustrations to depict the story of an angry dinosaur coming to eat a little boy named Hal for his dinner. With the majority of the page being dedicated to Lord’s humorous cartoons, from the dinosaur fixing the fence he broke, to him sitting down to eat a massive plate of spaghetti bolognese, it seems appropriate for this book to be read to early years children either in groups or as a whole class, so they can all enjoy the wonderful illustrations. Some of the onomatopoeias in the writing such as the dinosaur’s roars and slurps add a fun aspect to the book by enabling class participation. This short picture book is one I’m sure young children will enjoy.

[Deb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is fun to read out loud. I like the style of the illustrations. The story is entertaining. It inspires me to feed spaghetti to my Super Hungry Alena for lunch. I read this book twice, yesterday and today, and liked it just as much the second time. That doesn't always happen.

[⋆ miya ☽ · Rating 5 out of 5]

perfect for teaching kids kindness, how to stand up for themselves even if it’s scary, and to teach others accountability!

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rather strange story about a dinosaur that comes to eat a little boy's family. This is a repetitive, rhythmic story that my boys enjoyed. By far, their favorite part was ROARing on cue on each page. The illustrations in The Super Hungry Dinosaur are fair to good. I prefer much more bold and interesting illustrations but there was nothing particularly wrong with these.

[Sarah Beattie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Awards Received (if any):
-None found.

Appropriate Grade Level:
-Kindergarten through 2nd grade

Original Summary:
-This book is about a little boy named Hal and his dog Billy being approached by a Super Hungry Dinosaur. The dinosaur wants to eat Billy and his family, but Bill stands up to him and refuses. Hal and Billy get chased by the dinosaur until they catch him, tie him up, and he surrenders. The dinosaur then apologizes and cleans up the mess he made and Hal’s mom cooks up a big dinner for the Super Hungry Dinosaur to eat.

Original Review:
-This is a cute book that tells a fun story for children to follow along to. I enjoy how the book emphasizes Hal’s courage for standing up to the Super Hungry Dinosaur, and also points out Hal’s politeness towards the dinosaur. Some of the words on the pages are a bit confusing to follow because rather than going from top to bottom on one page and then continuing onto the next page, they go from left to right across the seam of the book.

Possible In-Class Use:
-This would be a good book for a read aloud to the whole class because it is a simple, goofy story. There is not much direct educational material to pull from the book for a lesson, but it could be used to facilitate a discussion on how to deal with situations that a child might be nervous or scared in (problem solving).

[Edward Sojuwa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every kid sometimes dreams of having a big dinosaur to tame, or have as a pet, or as a best friend. For one boy, the dream is real when the dirty great dinosaur threatens (playfully!) to eat him or his dad or his mum (it's obviously a British book, due to the use of the word MUM.) The dino crosses the line when he threatens to have the boy's pooch for a doggytreat! That does it! It's take down time!!! It's a fun filled fight to the finish, no violence, no blood and definitely no doggy lunch!!! Very much a fun book.
Four stars
Dirty Great Dinosaur reigns supreme!!!

[Alyssa Rosanelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awards Received:
- N/A

Appropriate Grade Level:
- K-2

Original Summary:
- The book is about a little boy and his dog who meet a dinosaur that wants to eat them. The boy saves them from anything terrible that could happen by doing something involving spaghetti; I won't spoil it!

Original Review:
- This book is adorable, especially for younger kids. It is a fun read and there are great pictures to show if it is used as a read aloud.

Possible In-Class Use:
- Leisure reading/read alouds

[Justine Avery · Rating 2 out of 5]

So... the dinosaur is a bully and so, the little boy is a bully back, hogtieing the dinosaur into submission until he’s a cringing, sobbing, slave? What kind of lesson is that for young listeners or readers? To top it off, the story is just boring, ending with a meal and the dinosaur invited back by mum and dad!

[Pi · Rating 2 out of 5]

Co zrobić, gdy ktoś nas chce zjeść? Ktoś większy i silniejszy? No właśnie! Czyż to nie częsty problem w dzisiejszym świecie? Dziecko musi się nauczyć, że bycie słabszym nie oznacz bycia gorszym i że poprzez swój intelekt i dobre, mądre serce można pokonać, a nawet nauczyć czegoś pozornego wroga.

Nakarm Dinozaura - nie tylko cię nie zje, ale i pomoże ci w przyszłości.

[Cleyton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book to be very entertaining and informative for young readers. Readers can interpret many underlining lessons from this story such as conflict resolution and how to control their anger. In addition, the illustrations were creative and kept readers engaged. I would recommend this read for classrooms.

[Amy Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for a dinosaur themed story time in a variety of settings (library story time and daycare outreaches). The story is fun. However, I only recommend this book for ages 4+. You will have to be prepared to explain the illustrations as some main plot points are not explained in words. This will not translate well to a large audience story time or younger kiddos.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

My toddler chose this from the library. The illustrations are really nice, but the story is mediocre at best. Liked that the little boy bravely saves his family from being eaten, but was less impressed by the burping and slurping sections.

[Dave · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice anti-bullying story with plenty of opportunities to ham it up for a read-aloud. The story really empowers the boy by making his parents blithely unaware of the fact that a dinosaur has barged into their yard and threatened to eat everyone.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

A dinosaur appears in Hal's backyard and threatens to eat him/the members of his family because he is very hungry. Hal reprimands him, gets him to help around the house, and then gives him a gigantic bowl of spaghetti.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was cute. A hungry dinosaur wants to eat a boy's family, but the boy says no, and he and his dog evade the dinosaur and tie him up. Then the dinosaur eats spaghetti. I enjoyed the pictures and the chase scene.

[Kim]

1-3 sentences per page. Story of a little boy named Hal and his dog Billy that helps him stop a Super Hungry Dinosaur from eating their whole family, and instead the family feeds the Super Hungry Dinosaur. Pencil-like drawings with color.

[Brook Waddey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story. I love how these illustrations resemble a child's drawings with the smudged crayon style while still being very detailed and exciting. The font is whimsical too. The child's lack of fear is amazing and his confidence could inspire children to stand up for themselves.

[Tracy Schillemore · Rating 3 out of 5]

This could be used for problem solving. There is a lot of chances to growl in this story which is always a hit with the children.

[Hannah Higson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this book.

Love how the pictures were drawn as if it was a child’s colouring - helped with the characterisation of the main boy.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a super hungry dinosaur arrives and threatens to eat everyone in its path, Hal and his dog Billy spring into action to save everyone and the day.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful book for storytime - went over well with my boys most of all. Definitely using again!

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

When a dirty great dinosaur invades Hal and Billy's lawn, they must step up to save the day and keep their family from being eaten.

[Nadina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was pretty cute and simple. I liked the characters and the artwork was pretty good. The story was also really simple and fun.
I think this would be a great read for fans of dinosaurs.

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 2 out of 5]

That is one lame-o dino

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Also cute, but I'm feeling like the middle chase scene is more action than words, which doesn't go great during read-alouds.

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story shows kindness and sticking up for others. Very inspiring for children and how to stay strong.

[florence Bromfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is really good In showing what to do with bullies in a calm way.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A hungry dinosaur shows up wanting to eat a family. Spoiler - the family figures out a different approach to satisfying the dinosaurs hunger. The story is cute. My kids like the pictures.