If I had a dinosaur
- Downloads：3009
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-09-15 06:54:56
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Gabby Dawnay
- ISBN：0500651507
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
A little girl dreams of having her very own pet。 But what kind of animal would make the best companion？ A mouse is too small， a cat is too ordinary， and a fish is too 。 。 。 wet！ As she plays with her toy dinosaur， inspiration strikes。 What about a real， live dinosaur？ She could ride it to school。 It would need lots of food to eat， a swimming pool to drink from， and a dino flap so it could come and go！
At the end of a day spent busily imagining， the girl trudges up to bed with her little plastic dinosaur。 As she falls asleep， the dinosaur from her daydreams stands in the garden with its head poking through the bedroom window， making her dreams come true。
With playful illustrations， If I Had a Dinosaur is a charming， witty， rhyming story celebrating the power of a child’s imagination。
At the end of a day spent busily imagining， the girl trudges up to bed with her little plastic dinosaur。 As she falls asleep， the dinosaur from her daydreams stands in the garden with its head poking through the bedroom window， making her dreams come true。
With playful illustrations， If I Had a Dinosaur is a charming， witty， rhyming story celebrating the power of a child’s imagination。
Reviews
Lauren
，
I'm torn。I loved lots of things about this book。 A little black girl wants a dinosaur for all the best reasons （and these reasons rhyme！）。 But the Asian kid？ I'm torn。I loved lots of things about this book。 A little black girl wants a dinosaur for all the best reasons （and these reasons rhyme！）。 But the Asian kid？ 。。。more
Mairéad
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4。5/5 A really lovely rhyming story about having a dinosaur as a pet。 The pacing is great， the vocabulary is age appropriate and the illustrations are bright， appealing and full of little details so each time you read the story there are new things to spot。 I particularly love that the story is about a little girl as so many dino books are targeted at boys and its doubly great that she happens to be non-white too。 This book would obviously be fantastic in a classroom as a spring board for lesson 4。5/5 A really lovely rhyming story about having a dinosaur as a pet。 The pacing is great， the vocabulary is age appropriate and the illustrations are bright， appealing and full of little details so each time you read the story there are new things to spot。 I particularly love that the story is about a little girl as so many dino books are targeted at boys and its doubly great that she happens to be non-white too。 This book would obviously be fantastic in a classroom as a spring board for lessons on pets/dinosaurs but also has some good linkage opportunities with self care， daily routines， nursery rhymes， creative problem solving and more - I think it would be a brilliant resource for any educator to have on their shelf！ 。。。more
Hannah
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Cute rhyming story about the desire to have a dinosaur as a pet。 This book would pair great with a storytime about pets or dinosaurs。
Vicki
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A fun dinosaur book to be sure。 Not sure if I’d want one in my house！
Merricat Alexander
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This was another cute one lots of imagination and the art was amazing。 Kids do want some of the strangest things， the rhymes were very clever too。
Alice Bennett
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A child fantasises about what she would do if she had a real life dinosaur as a pet。 This is perfect for KS1 for them to enjoy and use during a themed topic on dinosaurs。 We could think about the different types and create 'Top Trumps' cards for them。 The class could write letters about why they think dinosaurs should be allowed and why they shouldn't using persuasive language。 A child fantasises about what she would do if she had a real life dinosaur as a pet。 This is perfect for KS1 for them to enjoy and use during a themed topic on dinosaurs。 We could think about the different types and create 'Top Trumps' cards for them。 The class could write letters about why they think dinosaurs should be allowed and why they shouldn't using persuasive language。 。。。more
Meg
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Très mignon， l'obsession avec les dinosaures est commune dans les enfants grands et petits。 Mais l'illustration des enfants asiatique sont bizarrement jaune-verts ici >_> Très mignon， l'obsession avec les dinosaures est commune dans les enfants grands et petits。 Mais l'illustration des enfants asiatique sont bizarrement jaune-verts ici >_> 。。。more
Hannah
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I really liked this book and would read it with my KS1 class。 It would be good for 1:1 reading too as there are some prediction opportunities where an illustration replaces a word。 This book has representations of all kinds of people too， which is great。 Also， it shows dinosaurs in a friendly way which I'm sure they would appreciate too。 I really liked this book and would read it with my KS1 class。 It would be good for 1:1 reading too as there are some prediction opportunities where an illustration replaces a word。 This book has representations of all kinds of people too， which is great。 Also， it shows dinosaurs in a friendly way which I'm sure they would appreciate too。 。。。more
Faith
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Lovely rhyming stings throughout and very supporting for allowing children to participate。 It allows for opportunities for the children to ask questions and consider what they would do in the same situation。 It is all about a little girls who really wants a pet but is having to consider the problem and responsibilities it comes with。
Nicole
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The child wants a Dinosaur as a pet。
Emily
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Ages 4 and up。 A comical story of a young Black girl who wants nothing more than a dinosaur， with easy to understand facts strewn throughout。
Zoe
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My son was gifted this book by a friend and it is a cute book overall。 Happy to have more books for my child that feature protagonists of color。 HOWEVER， the way that Asian children are portrayed in this book is absolutely appalling and disqualifying。 They have not just yellow but light green skin， and slanted slit eyes where all other children’s eyes are round。 I am honestly flabbergasted that this representation of Asian children was published in 2017。 Never mind the illustrator， what were the My son was gifted this book by a friend and it is a cute book overall。 Happy to have more books for my child that feature protagonists of color。 HOWEVER， the way that Asian children are portrayed in this book is absolutely appalling and disqualifying。 They have not just yellow but light green skin， and slanted slit eyes where all other children’s eyes are round。 I am honestly flabbergasted that this representation of Asian children was published in 2017。 Never mind the illustrator， what were the editors and publisher thinking？ I suppose it was a good opportunity to have a discussion about stereotypes and racism with my 3-year old after he asked my why certain kids’ skin was green， but really， come on。 。。。more
Fern
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Inspired by the discovery of the biggest type of titanosaur ever discovered in Argentina in 2014， comes a tale of imagination， childhood spirit and all things dinosaurs！ Written in lively， witty rhyme and accompanied with charming， childlike illustrations， If I Had a Dinosaur will leave both adults and children wanting a dinosaur of their very own！
Rogue Male
，
7/10
Ruby Khan
，
Taking inspiration from one of David Attenborough's BBC documentaries， Dawnay uses rhyme， humour and the excitement of having a very strange pet to create this picturebook。 It has numerous opportunities to use books as a feature of cross-curricular learning， for example for KS1 and KS2 science， rhyme in English and maths through the comparison of dinosaurs to measurements。 Furthermore， what I especially liked was the incorporation of the protagonist as a BAME character， interestingly in a 'norma Taking inspiration from one of David Attenborough's BBC documentaries， Dawnay uses rhyme， humour and the excitement of having a very strange pet to create this picturebook。 It has numerous opportunities to use books as a feature of cross-curricular learning， for example for KS1 and KS2 science， rhyme in English and maths through the comparison of dinosaurs to measurements。 Furthermore， what I especially liked was the incorporation of the protagonist as a BAME character， interestingly in a 'normal' setting and not used to highlight differences or discrimination。 。。。more
Sarah
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A frequently requested nighttime read by my 3 year old， who’s going through a bit of a dinosaur phase at the moment。 He giggles his way through the pages and always wants to know which dinosaur on the last page was the one responsible for the big surprise （no spoilers） earlier in the story。 Quite a fun read overall。
Khansa Baig
，
A little girl wishes ever so desperately that she could have a pet， but she's unsure about what kind of pet she would like。 A mouse is too small， a cat is too ordinary， and a fish too wet。 While playing with her her toy dinosaur， inspiration strikes。 What if she could be the owner of a real-life dinosaur？ She then day dreams about all the things she could do with her pet dinosaur。Gabby Dawnay's rhyming text and Alex Barrow's simple yet evocative illustrations combine beautifully。 The book encour A little girl wishes ever so desperately that she could have a pet， but she's unsure about what kind of pet she would like。 A mouse is too small， a cat is too ordinary， and a fish too wet。 While playing with her her toy dinosaur， inspiration strikes。 What if she could be the owner of a real-life dinosaur？ She then day dreams about all the things she could do with her pet dinosaur。Gabby Dawnay's rhyming text and Alex Barrow's simple yet evocative illustrations combine beautifully。 The book encourages active participation from children， with many key nouns replaced by an image causing children to fill in the blanks for themselves 。。。more
Rebekah
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What child doesn't love dinosaurs？ The rhyme in this book makes it a nice flowing read and the simple illustrations add to the enjoyment。 Young kids would definitely enjoy this。 What child doesn't love dinosaurs？ The rhyme in this book makes it a nice flowing read and the simple illustrations add to the enjoyment。 Young kids would definitely enjoy this。 。。。more
Robin
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Predictable but adorable。
Heather Szczepanski
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I wanted to love this book。 I liked the diversity until I saw the illustrations of the Asian children。 I’m disappointed to say the least。
Sarah Newman
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4。5 stars。 My toddler and I love this book。 Some of the cadences are slightly off， but the illustrations and representation （a girl of colour who loves dinosaurs！） make up for it。 I was really surprised to come to GoodReads and see the negative ratings， and was horrified that I hadn't noticed the racist illustrations， but it appears my copy has been updated - thank goodness！ 4。5 stars。 My toddler and I love this book。 Some of the cadences are slightly off， but the illustrations and representation （a girl of colour who loves dinosaurs！） make up for it。 I was really surprised to come to GoodReads and see the negative ratings， and was horrified that I hadn't noticed the racist illustrations， but it appears my copy has been updated - thank goodness！ 。。。more
Trisha Parsons
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This book has a lot of opportunities for dialogic reading as the first page opens up with a few pictures in place of words to further engage the kids in the story， and it provides opportunity to engage in the imagination as you can wonder what it'd be like to have a dino for a pet。 There is a page toward the end with a BIG poop， and my younger 2 group thought it was ice cream :D This book has a lot of opportunities for dialogic reading as the first page opens up with a few pictures in place of words to further engage the kids in the story， and it provides opportunity to engage in the imagination as you can wonder what it'd be like to have a dino for a pet。 There is a page toward the end with a BIG poop， and my younger 2 group thought it was ice cream :D 。。。more
Mathilde / Ikvindlezenleuk
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Lees mijn recensie op Ikvindlezenleuk: Dit is een leuk verhaal voor kinderen vanaf 4 jaar die van dinosaurussen houden
Brittany Thurman
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I was going to give this book at least three stars。 I liked （not loved） the rhyming story， but I thought it would make a cute future storytime read。 I happened to check the goodreads reviews after I read the story， and someone mentioned the illustrations for the Asian characters。 The characters are depicted with slanted closed eyes and green skin。 I'm disturbed and appalled these types of images are being depicted。 There's no excuse。 I was going to give this book at least three stars。 I liked （not loved） the rhyming story， but I thought it would make a cute future storytime read。 I happened to check the goodreads reviews after I read the story， and someone mentioned the illustrations for the Asian characters。 The characters are depicted with slanted closed eyes and green skin。 I'm disturbed and appalled these types of images are being depicted。 There's no excuse。 。。。more
Carmen （TheReadingTrashQueen）
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Simple art， cute story in rhyme， and a hilarious cat as a side character。 It’s just okay。 Shame that the asian kid is painted yellow。 Literal yellow。 Other than that， the diversity is great。
Romanticamente Fantasy
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Un albo illustrato coloratissimo e divertentissimo， che ha come protagonista un bambino che vuole un animale domestico un po’ diverso dal solito… Un dinosauro！！Il testo è in rima， così è facile sia per i bambini sia per chi legge， dare un ritmo incalzante alla storia; anche i disegni sono molto belli， ricchi di particolari da scoprire e commentare insieme al proprio bimbo。Un racconto che celebra la fantasia， soprattutto per quei bambini che amano i dinosauri！Lo consiglio vivamente a tutti， è un Un albo illustrato coloratissimo e divertentissimo， che ha come protagonista un bambino che vuole un animale domestico un po’ diverso dal solito… Un dinosauro！！Il testo è in rima， così è facile sia per i bambini sia per chi legge， dare un ritmo incalzante alla storia; anche i disegni sono molto belli， ricchi di particolari da scoprire e commentare insieme al proprio bimbo。Un racconto che celebra la fantasia， soprattutto per quei bambini che amano i dinosauri！Lo consiglio vivamente a tutti， è un albo che mette di buonumore！“Lo voglio enorme， grandioso， gigante！Con coda lunghissimaE il corpo più grosso di un elefante！Oh se avessi un dinosauro！”。Solaria - per RFS 。。。more
Erika L。
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Okay， publishers。。。 let's change the illustrations for the Asian characters， please， because green skin and closed eyes are not okay。 This is sad。 I actually really liked the rhymes and the story， and it was fun to read out loud to the toddlers。 Unfortunately， I did not see the horrible representation of the Asian children until after storytime while getting ready to write this review。 It is VERY easy to miss the first time reading it。 This is one that I will NOT do again， and it is a good remin Okay， publishers。。。 let's change the illustrations for the Asian characters， please， because green skin and closed eyes are not okay。 This is sad。 I actually really liked the rhymes and the story， and it was fun to read out loud to the toddlers。 Unfortunately， I did not see the horrible representation of the Asian children until after storytime while getting ready to write this review。 It is VERY easy to miss the first time reading it。 This is one that I will NOT do again， and it is a good reminder for me to pay closer attention to the illustrations before selecting storytime books。 。。。more
BrookesEducationLibrary
，
This is a great story to read-aloud， I'm a huge fan of rhyming stories and this one really tickles us :）Do dinosaurs make for great pets？ Find out！ This is a great story to read-aloud， I'm a huge fan of rhyming stories and this one really tickles us :）Do dinosaurs make for great pets？ Find out！ 。。。more
Susan
，
This is a really cute story， and I love that the main character who wants a dinosaur is a girl - and a girl of color no less。 However， there is a little boy in the book who is Asian and has green skin。 Even worse， he has slanted eyes。 Maybe the illustrator can redo the book。
Erin
，
simple and bold pictures， good for toddler or preschool storytime， decent vocabulary， ok fir k and 1st grade for writing assignments （what would YOU do if YOU had a dinosaur。。。）， fun， diverse （dad and child appear black， mom is brown）
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=If I had a dinosaur
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=If I had a dinosaur&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,If I had a dinosaur&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0