Book Review: I’m a Dirty Dinosaur (Brian)

I’m A Dirty Dinosaur

Illustrator: Ann James

Publisher: Kane / Miller Book Publishers

Genre: Children’s Literature

Subgenre: Picture book, dinosaurs

Book received by: Purchased through Usborne consultant

Synopsis:

Adventure some time with a dinosaur who loves to get dirty, and has a blast doing it. Review body parts relevant to dinos and kiddos, actions that make them dirty when romping in the mud, and how to clean it all off!

Review:

Busy moms (and dads): This was an instant hit at bedtime. The sing-song cadence and rhymes will keep your kids refraining the book from read #1. The MC (we know only as “Dirty Dinosaur” so I will refer to him as “Dino”) gets filthy from playing in the mud from snout to tail to feet and makes a show of the activities he likes that will get him this way, from stomping in the muck to splattering mud and tapping his tum. When he’s fully coated from top to bottom, he goes about washing off…only to spot a fresh new plot of mud. Will he resist?

Illustrator Ann James cleverly uses sparsely colored outlines for the dino and his surroundings, then applies a generous amount of brown for the mud and progressive “dirtying” of Dino from one page to the next.

There’s no major overarching theme or moral to take away from the book. That being said, there is the important lesson of taking a bath after one gets dirty, to which some kids are resistant! For the parents who struggle with those children, this book may be a great blessing. In our house, bath time is a fun and fairly non-stressful event, so the story was more for fun than anything else. That being said, fun and silliness are important elements of our days!

***

Have you read I’m a Dirty Dinosaur or another Janeen Brian book? I’m always on the lookout for new books to add to the “to-read-and-review” shelf, especially children’s books by indie or newly published authors. If you have any to recommend, please share in the comments and many thanks!

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