Ten little dinosaurs by Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty

Orchard Books, 2015. ISBN 9781408334003
(Ages 2-5) Recommended. From the creators of Ten little pirates comes this noisy rhyming story perfect for sharing with dinosaur-loving young children. Following the classic countdown formula - 'ten little dinosaurs, walking in a line. 'Stomp!' goes Diplodocus. Now there are . . . nine' - the story follows the dinosaurs as they set off to explore the world while mummy is sleeping. Predictably, they run into all sorts of trouble, including hungry meat-eating plants, bubbling springs and a charging triceratops. At each turn, they lose another member of their travelling party. Sure to please the young reader is the illustration of the dinosaurs trying to dodge the poo piles of the Stegosaurus! It is a happy conclusion when mum turns up to save the last little dinosaur and all the others too. Bright and bold computer-generated graphics give the book a video-game look and the happy dinosaurs, with their varied colours and designs give opportunity for discussions and activities around shape and pattern. The illustrations have oodles of little details that will amuse and delight; there are little creatures everywhere and multiple action points on each page. Another focus is on sound, with noisy words enlarged and bolded. Young children will love joining in to make the sounds; they can roar, stomp, slurp, grrrrr, caaaaaark, splooosh, snap, swiiiiish, and boom along with the reader. In addition to the obvious use for developing number concept, there is so much here to explore - fantastic for preschools and early childhood libraries and homes.
Nicole Smith-Forrest