Book #218: Stomp, Dinosaur, Stomp! by Margaret Mayo, Illustrated by Alex Ayliffe

Image from BarnesandNoble.com

Led by the might tyrannosaurus this parade of prehistoric dinosaurs goes stomp, stomp, stomping by. There go the fierce velociraptors hunting and racing through the forest and the crested pteranodon gliding and soaring through the air. These dinosaurs may be extinct, but in this book they are far from inactive as they swim, flap, swoosh, chomp, mash, and of course, stomp their way through the pages.

Young dinosaur fans will fall in love with this ode to their favorite creatures. Mayo’s text, full of action verbs, and Ayliffe’s collage colorful and bold illustrations combine to create a rousing read aloud. The text varies in size to build tension and show emphasis. For instance, the diplodocus isn’t just swishing his tail, he’s “swish, swish, swishing” it. Each two page spread is devoted to a different dinosaur until the last page when the reader is asked to imagine all the creatures in a peaceful parade. The colorful endpapers helpfully include small illustrations of each dinosaur and the correct pronunciation of their name.

Some kids may be able to recite the names of all the dinosaurs that ever lived, but for the sake of those of us who aren’t so dinosaur savvy (myself included) you may want to write the names of the dinosaurs on the whiteboard. If you ask kids to mention their favorite dinosaur from the book the list can be helpful. It’s also great for parents with kids who decide they really want a book on pteranodons or plesipsauruses, in which case having the correct spelling makes looking up and locating books so much faster.

Make the reading of this book interactive by having the kids imitate the movements of each dinosaur. For more movement ideas, check out the suggestions on Maria’s Movers blog.

Pair this book with Dinotrux or Brontorina for a dinosaur themed storytime. Follow up with All Around the Swamp, a dinosaur version of The Wheels on the Bus. You can change the movements to mirror the actions in the book. You can sing a verse for each of the dinosaurs in the book, but that would take a while. So consider asking kids to shout out their favorite dinosaur between verses, then you won't need to sing all the verses. 

You can also use this book to talk about the people who dig up dinosaur bones – archeologists. Hide plastic dinosaurs in plaster of paris and have kids dig them up. You can buy kits or check out Wired or eHow for directions on making your own.

I want to shout out to Kerry for bringing this book to my attention by writing a review of this book on her blog, Picture Books & Pirouettes.Thanks, Kerry!

-Amy