I have to be the luckiest grandmother in the world – I have two beautiful three-year-old granddaughters born six days apart. And, they each have their own taste in books! Nastassia, among other things, likes dinosaurs. One of her favorite books is Dinosaur Kisses. Her mother tells me that she especially enjoys when they dramatize the dinosaur sounds used throughout the book.
Why do toddlers like dinosaurs? Well, their names are so much fun to hear and say! Most probably, however, it’s their magical size and demeanor. Toddlers are so little, and dinosaurs are so big, strong, and mighty. Their skeletal bones are huge! In addition, dinosaurs usually do whatever they want. Toddlers also love the humor and fantasy of fictional books that feature them as main characters. They like movies like Pixar’s The Good Dinosaur. Therefore, it seems appropriate to capitalize upon toddlers; interest and fascination with literature.
I recommended to my son and daughter-in-law that they find some of the How Do Dinosaur….books by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague that Nastassia might like. Good readers make connections to the books they read, and I know these stories will tickle her fancy!
Also, here is an “oldie” but “goodie” – If the Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most
When Nastassia is older and visits the Museum of Natural History. I will get her some of Aliki’s books. The visual nature of these first informational books can make this experience even richer.
A wonderful early chapter book that children in the primary grades would enjoy for a read aloud is Lulu and the Brontosaurus by Judith Viorst.
It has such delightful characterization, as Lulu is quite determined to get her way and receive a brontosaurus for her birthday. While looking online, I found such a cute theatre dramatization of this story that you might like to check out on YouTube.https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Lulu+and+the+Brontosaurus+Movie&view=detail&mmscn=vwll&mid=EB27AE8100BFBAD14E58EB27AE8100BFBAD14E58&FORM=VRRTAP
To assist me with this post, my daughter-in-law asked her parent toddler group for suggestions. I received some wonderful recommendations that are “toddler tested” and “parent-approved.” If you know or have used any of them with your children, please let me know. We can also make this list even longer.
Happy reading!
Joanne
Toddler Group Recommendations
