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BOOK REVIEW: A Dinosaur Made Me Sneeze
In addition to reviewing the
CALIBER OF CONTENT,
and the
EFFECTIVENESS OF ITS ILLUSTRATIONS,
I will also include information on the
APPROPRIATENESS AS A READ ALOUD,
ADAPTABILITY TO ACTIVITIES and the
QUALITY OF THE PHYSICAL BOOK.
And at the end, you’ll find an
EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION from an adult perspective plus an
ENJOYMENT ASSESSMENT from the perspective of a few students!
TITLE OF BOOK: A Dinosaur Made Me Sneeze
AUTHOR: Carla Mae Jansen
ILLUSTRATOR: Natasha Kostovska
PUBLISHER: Turtle Trails Publishing
CATEGORY: Children’s Fiction with an Animal/Science Theme
LENGTH OF BOOK: 34 pages
READING LEVEL: 3rd-5th
PRICE: $11-15
AVAILABILITY: Readily avavailable on Amazon.
WHAT IT’S ABOUT: A Dinosaur Made Me Sneeze is an adventure story that explains the rock cycle with the help of some adorably illustrated dinosaurs and other animals through a delightful rhyme.
CALIBER OF CONTENT: The author, Carla Mae Jansen managed to create a perfect balance of fun and fact! The adorably expressive dinosaurs and other animals plus the catchy rhyme of Martin’s fanciful story combined with scientific facts about the rock cycle result in a wonderful blend of education and entertainment. SCORE 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
EFFECTIVENESS OF ILLUSTRATIONS: The illustrations are simply amazing! I do not know how Natasha Kostovska accomplished making the characters look both cute and weird at the same time, but she did. And the result is highly entertaining. If you have kids who love dinosaurs AND find green snot hilarious, this is a must-have book for your collection. SCORE 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
APPROPRIATENESS AS A READ-ALOUD: This book had me missing the days of reading aloud to a big class of dino-loving kids! The catchy rhyme of the text would very clearly hold the attention of even the wiggliest of kiddos and the fantastic illustrations would result in the kids in the back row straining to be closer. It’s the kind of book that an entire class would love! But, it’s also a great book for a cuddly 1:1 read with your little one at home. SCORE 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
ADAPTABILITY TO ACTIVITIES: The best thing about this book is the fact that it seems like a dinosaur book, but it’s actually a book about the rock cycle which makes it a wonderful way to introduce what many {myself included} consider a fairly boring topic: rocks. It gives just enough information about rocks to trigger an interest that can be met through a gazillion different rock-related activities. SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
QUALITY OF THE PHYSICAL BOOK: As mentioned in my review of Hedgehog’s Home for Winter, the quality of books has become rather unpredictable with many books appearing as if they were printed at home. But, that is certainly not the case with A Dinosaur Made Me Sneeze. It is gorgeous! My book is a hardcover with thick, glossy pages, rich colors, and a dustjacket! And the front and back covers are loaded with great photos of real rocks. The hardback was more than worth the price I paid, but there is also a paperback version available as well. SCORE: 5/5 ♥♥♥♥♥
EDUCATIONAL EVALUATION from an adult perspective: This book left me missing the days when I taught First Grade. With the adorable illustrations, fun rhyme, and hilarious approach, it truly is the perfect kind of book for a group read-aloud. And the fact that it involves dinosaurs AND snot, receiving a high level of interest from a group of young kids is a given. It would also allow a teacher to introduce what many consider a rather boring topic, rocks, in a highly interesting and entertaining way. But, the best part of this book is that the snot and dinosaurs are not just a gimmick to get the kids to listen. The snot and dinosaurs are actually part of real science! It seems it would be a cinch to maintain the initial excitement and interest during an entire unit on rocks after starting with A Dinosaur Made Me Sneeze! The only caution I would give parents is to pre-read it to make sure it fits with their particular stance on the age of the earth as well as their belief as to what destroyed the dinosaurs.
ENJOYMENT ASSESSMENT from students’ perspective: Because my son is a 6-foot tall teenager, I had to borrow some kids to test out this book. I read to a family of four kids, ages 4, 6, 7, and 9. They all stayed focused, laughed a lot, and seemed to really enjoy the entire book. They all even remained engaged after the reading when we discussed the different kinds of dinosaurs on the inside covers. All four said they enjoyed the story and learned a lot. The 9-year-old even said, “I wish somebody had read this to me a long time ago. I learned a lot about rocks and now want to learn more!”
BOOK REVIEW: A Dinosaur Made Me Sneeze
