dinophile (plural dinophiles): (informal) One who is keenly interested in dinosaurs.

Do you know a dinophile? Maybe your child can rattle off the names of all the different dinosaurs that are(were) or even more.

I did have one little tot- today, he is my high-schooler – who was obsessed with everything dinosaurs for a while, and also have one nibling, whose dino-interest has grown with him from 3 to 13!

But I digress, not really though. Today’s post is about books about, duh, dinosaurs 🙂 for all those young dinophiles in your life.

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The Books:

Dinotopia, A Land Apart from Time

Written and Illustrated by: James Gurney
Age Range: 8 – 12 years
Grade Level: 6 and up
Series: Calla Editions
Hardcover: 192 pages
Publisher: Calla Editions; 20th Anniversary edition (November 17, 2011)

Description:

In the year 1860, biologist and explorer Arthur Denison and his son, Will, set out on a sea voyage of discovery and adventure. When a powerful typhoon wrecks the ship in uncharted waters, Arthur and Will are the sole survivors. Washed ashore on a strange island called Dinotopia, they are amazed to find a breathtaking world where cities are built on waterfalls, people have found new ways to fly, and humans and dinosaurs live together in harmony. With new discoveries at every turn, Arthur and Will embark upon their own separate journeys to unearth the mysteries of Dinotopia.

My Thoughts:

This book is simply beautiful. The illustrations are brimming with imagination, detail and color, and take you on a tour of a world that you would love to live in – Dinotopia.

In Gulliveresque style, father and son find themselves shipwrecked in beautiful Dinotopia. They discover a highly advanced civilization where nature and peace among all species is the norm. Literally, a utopia right in front of them.

The book takes us on their journeys through Dinotopia. It is written in travelogue style, in the voice of the father Arthur. He notes down his observations of the place, complete with detailed drawings of all that fascinates him.

For kids who love world-building, this will take them away from building those virtual worlds for quite a while. You can thank me later! With its unique combination of travelogue & other-worldly illustrations, this book is among the best examples of world building I have seen in books.

In Summary:

This book is one to be enjoyed by all ages, and by everyone, whether you love dinosaurs or fantasy or sci-fi or art or simply a book to treasure. The very young will love looking at the gorgeous illustrations and be read to, the readers will appreciate the richness of the illustrations while enjoying the world they explore through the pages of this book.

• Rating: 5/5
• Reading Level: All ages (recommended online – 8 to 12 years)
• Reread Level: 5/5

A few other books that are totally worth mentioning to make this a list as I promised are below (with either mini-reviews or links to reviews earlier)

The Fantastic Dinosaur Adventure

Author: Gerald Durrell
Illustrated by: Graham Percy
Age Range: 7 and up
Grade Level: 3 – 4
Hardcover: 95 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing; 1st edition (September 1, 1990)

This is written by Gerald Durrell, of My Family and Other Animals fame. It is story of the second adventurous journey the Dollybutt kids have with their great-uncle Lancelot. But it can be read as a stand-alone without reading the first one.

Evil Sir Jasper has stolen Uncle Lancelot’s time machine to capture the dinosaurs. The adventurers journey back in time to save the dinosaurs from his evil plans.

Save for a few inaccuracies in the descriptions of these magnificent prehistoric beings, the story is a fun read. The colorful pencil illustrations by Graham Percy are a perfect accompaniment to this adventure that dinosaur fans all around will love.

In Summary:

• Rating: 4/5
• Reading Level: 8 to 12 years
• Reread Level: 3.5/5

Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp

A book that still finds its place in our library years after the kids have outgrown it merely because of its smile-bringing capacity each time I read it. You can see the full review in an earlier post here.

Alphasaurs and Other Prehistoric Types

One book I have gotten as gifts for the little ones who love dinosaurs a couple of times for its uniqueness. You have to see it for yourselves to enjoy it. I need to gift it to myself soon as I had read a ARC copy earlier. You can read the full review of the book in my earlier post here.

You can check out my previous posts for the month and for Ultimate Blog Challenge below. Yes, I know more than a few days are missing. This is day ??’s post. This will also go towards IMWAYR on 1/21 and hopefully I am on track next week so I have one more post on 1/21 with new book reviews (It’s Monday, What Are You Reading?) hosted over at Teacher Mentor Texts

This post by the way is for day 14

Day 8Day 1Day 2Day 3Day 4Day 5Day 6Day 7Day 9
Day 10Day 11Day 12 Day 13