Dino diggers: Digger disaster by Rose Impey

Ill. by Chris Chatterton. Bloomsbury, 2017. ISBN 9781408872444
(Ages: 2-5) Dinosaurs, construction, teamwork. This cleverly combines two things that young children love: dinosaurs and diggers, and the bright, cartoon-like and action-filled illustrations will keep them engaged. This is just one in a series of dinosaur construction stories, each one containing a cardboard pop-out build-your-own project. This one has a build-your-own dino and digger. In each story the team of Dino Diggers 'put things right when they go wrong and never let you down'. This is a great motto for young children to hear and model their behaviour on. The dinosaurs have great names and personalities, like the grumpy Mr Ali O'Saurus and the clumsy apprentice Ricky Raptor. Today the team are building a car yard but it isn't long before they run into a problem: they've hit a water pipe. Everyone pitches in to fix the problem and their great teamwork means that they finish the job on time. Even the apprentice, who turned the plans upside down and created the problem is supported and valued, not ridiculed. There is great modelling here for young children: happy workers who are proud of their work and a team of boy and girl dinosaurs building, driving machines and working side by side. The construction language is also great: backhoe, cracked a water main, digging out the foundations, tower crane. Little ones who spot a construction site from a mile away will love this and the fact that the characters are dinosaurs makes it even more fun.
Nicole Nelson