Parents' Guide to Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp

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Common Sense Media Review

By Peter Lewis , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 4+

Bright artwork captures many dinosaur particulars.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 4+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 3+

Based on 1 parent review

What's the Story?

A lively gathering of the dinosaurs--set to a jukebox beat--to attend the dinosaur stomp is told in verse by Carol Diggory Shields. Scott Nash's bright, cartoony artwork faithfully captures many dinosaur particulars, so as well as being a swinging doo-wop tale, the book is also a glancing introduction to the great lizards.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 1 ):
Kids say : Not yet rated

Give credit to Carol Shields for putting a little music into some mighty daunting scientific terminology: the proper names of dinosaurs. Who would have ever thought that duckbill and supersaurus would have ever sounded so sweet, or that there even existed a rhyme for late Cretaceous? For those who will be reading this book aloud, be forewarned: Give it a preliminary reading so as not to break the flow of the verse by stumbling over plesiosaurs and Cenozoic.

Beyond the fantastical coloration Scott Nash has bestowed on the dinosaurs, he has given each a distinct personality that captures their notable characteristics. There are lots of smiles here, and big round eyes, but pentaceratops has his five horns and diplodocus looks like she belongs in a swamp.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the different dinosaurs. Which one would you want to be? Why? How could you learn more about them?

Book Details

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