Poetry: Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings

Dinothesaurus Prehistoric Poems and Paintings
By Douglas Florian

Florian, Douglas. Dinothesaurus: Prehistoric Poems and Paintings. New York, NY: Beach Lane Books, 2009. 9781416979784

Plot Summary

Learn about eighteen different dinosaurs in this colorful book of rhymes. From the Brachiosaurus who traveled quite s l o w to the Spinosaurus who wore long underwear flannel, no dino is left undefined. Carnivores and herbivores can both be found between these pages. Some are old and some are young, but each are scary and unique.

Analysis

Douglas Florian has once again created a book of poetry that will delight readers of all ages. This book of poems is well-coordinated and consistent. Dinosaurs are always a hot topic among children, and this book will be no exception. Florian is as educational as he is entertaining. The rhyme and rhythm of each poem in this book is evident and the words flow easily when spoken out loud. Some words in some of the poems are different from the rest; they could be larger, smaller, spaced out, or in a different font. These words catch the eye and give greater meaning to what is being said. For example, in the poem Minmi, the word 'biggest' is the biggest and the word 'smallest' is the smallest. Readers might find themselves growing bigger and shrinking smaller to animate this poem. 

His illustrations are chock full of detail and "easter eggs" of words or phrases from the poems that they are paired with. Each illustration contains letters that are tossed about the page; these letters spell out the name of the dinosaurs. Details that are in the poems are present in the illustrations as well, like in the poem Iguanodon. In this poem, Florian asks where is the IguanoDONNA and includes a pearl necklace and two bracelets on the second Iguanodon to show readers that she is right there on the page where she should be.

Florian has included a glossarysaurus at the end of this book that gives further explanation for each of the poems including The Age of Dinosaurs and The End of Dinosaurs, which are the first and last poems. There is also a page dedicated to dinosaur museums and fossil sites, which includes a brief description of each museum or site and the website that readers go visit. Florian also includes four books for further reading.

Excerpt

STEGOCERAS

Thick head. Brick head. Hard head, too.

Round head. Mound head. Odd head, you.

Bone head. Stone head. Head like a dome.

Bash head. Smash head. Then head home.

Connections

One fun activity to include with this book would be creating a new dinosaur from pieces of the ones that are in the poems. Library staff could print and cut out the pieces of the dinosaurs, like the Spinosaurus's spines, the Stegosaurus's spikes, or the Tyrannosaurus Rex's teeth. Children could choose the pieces that the liked the best and glue them to cardstock to create their dinosaur. To bring their dinosaur to life, they could them glue the stiffened cardstock onto a wooden stick and use their creation as a puppet. This activity could lead into a dinosaur theater event if the children wanted a way to show their creations off. 

Reviews

Kristine Wildner, writing for the Catholic Library World stated "Young children love fun, silly poetry; couple this with their insatiable curiosity and love of dinosaurs and we have a winner. Dinothesaurus is a must-have for every elementary or public library."

Wildner, Kristine. 2010. “[Dinothesaurus].” Catholic Library World 80 (4): 337. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezp.twu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=brd&AN=502992783&site=ehost-live.

Julie Roach, with the School Library Journal stated "Each selection includes a helpful pronunciation guide as well as the meaning behind the dinosaur's name. In muted colors with unexpected details, the ethereal artwork differs from the bold, aggressive pictures found in many dinosaur books."

Roach, Julie. 2009. “[Dinothesaurus].” School Library Journal 55 (8): 94. https://search-ebscohost-com.ezp.twu.edu/login.aspx?direct=true&db=brd&AN=518511216&site=ehost-live.