As you guys know only too well, I’m always on the lookout for the very best kids books. After all, I’m going to end up reading them over and over and over, so I want them to be really, really good. Dinosaur Kisses, written and illustrated by David Ezra Stein, is certainly getting read on repeat- my little dude usually demands to hear it a minimum of three times in a row. (What can I say. Anything worth doing is worth overdoing.) I suspect that some of the reason he is so enthusiastic about it is that he “gets” the jokes. So score one for nurturing his sense of humor. He’s going to need a lot of that to survive in this family.
There are a lot of things that I love about this book as a parent. (And I think you will too.) First of all, the deceptively simple illustrations are wonderful. At first glance they appear to be typical kids book cartoon illustrations, but there is a lot of warmth and humor in these illustrations. The subtleties in the expressions and the way emotion is conveyed is anything but typical. They look, to my relatively untrained eye, to be mixed media water color and pastel. There are layered effects and subtle textures that don’t jump out at you right away, but that really make you want to spend time with these pictures.
The story line is also deceptively simple. Dinah hatches out of her egg, and starts exploring the world around her as only a dinosaur can. My two year old thinks Dinah’s bumbling attempts to make friends are hilarious. I think that Dinah is just the perfect embodiment of toddlerhood. Everything is new and shiny and wonderful. And Dinah is just as impulsive and ready to discover as any toddler. Stein has perfectly captured the triumph of exuberance over finesse that is toddlerhood. I am charmed and delighted every time we read this one, and I think you will be too. Particularly since “Whomp,” “Stomp,” and “Chomp” are three words your toddler will likely find particularly useful in describing his or her everyday activities.
This was another excellent selection from the Poetry and Prose Book A Month gift program. I have not been compensated in any way to say that I am consistently impressed with the excellence they ship our way, and I’m so grateful to the family friend who has been gifting my kids with this wonderful subscription. If you are looking for a no fail giving option that will make you look like a hero to any parent who wants their kids to appreciate literature, you need to check it out.
From Amazon.com:
For newly hatched dinosaur Dinah, the world is an exciting place. There is so much to see and do. She tries this — STOMP! And she tries that — CHOMP! Then she sees a kiss and knows just what she wants to try next. Who can she kiss? And after a few disastrous attempts, can she figure out how to give someone a kiss without whomping, chomping, or stomping them first? Young children will chuckle and cheer when Dinah finds just the right creature for her dinosaur kisses in this funny new picture book from David Ezra Stein.
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