Dazzle the Dinosaur

Always nice to get to read a children’s book as a favorite book.  This one is Dazzle the Dinosaur by Mark Pfister.  A special thank you to a twitter friend from Bridgewater State University who sent me the book so I could read it.  You should hold on to your copy as it is now OUT of print.  You can no longer purchase it!    As a precursor, all of the various dinosaurs featured in the book are placed on the first two pages of the book, so get ready for young children not to want to turn the page. This could also be a great beginning for older people working with their memory.  So what happens in this story? Well, two eggs are found next of an expectant mother dinosaur, hers and another one.  The other egg is covered with glitter and shining diamond color lines!  The eggs hatch and her baby dinosaur is born, as is a brilliantly glittered spine baby!  The mother dinosaur suggests that they call the golden-spined dinosaur “Dazzle” and so it goes.  As they begin to grow, so does their curiosity and they escape the home nest and venture into the area where other dinosaurs live.  Be careful Dazzle what lurks out there… the good and the bad occur because of the shiny spine, drawing the attention of the treacherous eating variety of dinosaurs! The good occurs when Dazzle is able to shine the spine into the sun and scare the dinosaur who tries and attack Maia, the baby dinosaur who ventured out with Dazzle. The finally return home with the help of a flying Quietzalcotlus dinosaur so all ends well that started off poorly.  Those curious little daring dinosaurs!  A fun little read for those under five.  Not sure what the allure might be if over that age as the message didn’t contain anything that made me think too deeply or be moved to excitement.  The pictures are fine and the education of the dinosaur family is probably the best aspect of the book.  I guess it is one I will need to think about should I get to be a grandfather someday.  A ton of good children’s books out there and always glad to be brought into the inner-thinkings of RAs’ days of youth.