The Dinosaur in the Garden

The Dinosaur in the Garden features so many different things to love!

First and Foremost: Dinosaurs!
Dinosaurs are so cool, with their different sizes, diets, colors, and basically everything else.
We get to see fossils & bones and places their skeletons could be, and have been, found.

The illustrations are so cute!
The artist captured everything so accurately, while creating these cartoonish images. The curiosity, joy, and wonder on the illustrated children's faces is fantastic.

The Dinosaur in the Garden shows multiple children, but the main focus is on a young girl. I cherish books about girls doing things girls have been told they couldn't do for centuries, especially being a boy mom.

I really enjoyed the lyrical prose.
Deb Pilutti wrote this story in a fun and easy to read way.
Having the dinosaur narrate it's own story was very engaging and a good way to really pull readers into the story and evoke emotion by showing the connection between past and present.

This would be a great book for any dinosaur lover!

The Dinosaur in the Garden is a book written from a dinosaur's perspective. The dinosaur takes you back through history telling the story of what happened to the dinosaurs and then he realizes that a girl is exploring where he used to live. The story goes on with the dinosaur talking about the clues he has left about himself in the garden.

What I like: The book being told from the dinosaur’s perspective instantly grabbed my attention and made the story come to life. I enjoyed it when the story shifted from the dinosaur talking about the past to the present day and how involved he remained in the story.

I appreciated how the author included humor in the story by providing facts about the dinosaur. In the beginning, there is a moment in which the dinosaur shares that he is a carnivore by stating that other dinosaurs were delicious, this had me laughing and sharing this moment with those around me. This is revisited later when the dinosaur sees a dog and mentions how it would be a good snack…I mean friend.

This book travels through time from the dinosaurs existing on earth to the present day where the child is exploring the garden, to the future where all the bones from that dinosaur have been found. I liked how the story takes you through the progression of time in which it would take to find all the dinosaur bones. As time passes while searching for the bones you get to see the child grow up to become a paleontologist and this was a great addition to show children an option for when they grow up.

Final Verdict: The Dinosaur in the Garden is an enjoyable book that looks at the history of dinosaurs and what the present day looks like. This story is a great read for children 4-8 years old and is a great introduction to dinosaurs and reading.