Dinos Driving

Finished November 20

Dinos Driving by Lynn Leitch, illustrations by Scot Ritchie

Dinosaurs are a common interest of children and this book provides information on different types of dinosaurs in a humorous and interesting way. Readers are asked to imagine what kind of cars different dinosaurs might drive based on their known attributes. From physical characteristics to diet to behaviours, these attributes are used as reasoning for the choices here. 

The illustrations bring both the dinosaurs and the attributes to life, showing an adult velociraptor driving their family around in their Mini, a group of motorcycle riding Triceratops, and a bus driver Diplodocus among others. The book pairs up the dinosaurs with vehicles in the main narrative, with information given about the dinosaurs at the end.

As usual with this publisher, at the end of the book additional activities are suggested. These include having a conversation with the child about the pairings and why they might be matched the way they are, coming up with matches for other dinosaurs or other animals, doing their own illustrations based on those ideas, and coming up with poses or actions to match with the different dinosaurs that can then be acted out. 

A fun and silly book that definitely has child appeal. 

Triceratops Stomp

Finished October 12
Triceratop Stomp by Karen Patkau

This picture book will be great for all the dinosaur enthusiasts. In addition to the triceratops of the title, there are other dinosaurs pictured in the book and there is a key at the back explaining the different types and giving basic information on them. The back cover endpapers also show the sizes of the various dinosaurs compared to each other and to humans.
The story follows a new generation of triceratops from their hatching through a few early adventures. There is lots of word repetition, onomatopoeia, alliteration and fun sounds to keep a youngster interested in what's happening. The drawings are simple, but have lots of movement and interest. I loved the proliferation of different greens here. A fun read.

Old Bones

Finished January 25
Old Bones by Gwen Molnar

This novel is part of a teen mystery series facing Casey Templeton, a young man with a good head on his shoulders. Casey's dad was with the RCMP, and as the youngest of three brothers, Casey is an independent kid. After his dad retired, they moved to Richford, a small town in Alberta, and his dad became mayor of the town soon after. Casey and his dad, now that they are spending more time together have been forging a deeper relationship. One example of this is how Casey thinks through problems and explains his thought process to others.
As the book begins, Casey's class is on an overnight field to Drumheller to visit the Tyrrell museum and experience archeological work. Casey and his best friend Mike, find parts of a tooth, but Casey ends up sunburnt from being a bit too interested to take the precautions he should have. Later that night at the motel, Casey overhears a conversation, but is forced to wait some time to report it.
As Casey is offered the opportunity to take a summer job at the Tyrrell to follow up, he also becomes better friends with Mandy, a girl he already knew through their parents' friendship. The pair go on a couple adventures together and end up in danger.
I liked Casey, and how he used the tools his father taught him to keep his head in the various situations he encounters. I also liked how relationships grew through the novel.
A good read.