Deb Lund

Dinotrain is a high paced rhyming story of several dinosaurs going on a trip via train. They hit various snags as they go and are forced to think quickly in order to remain safe. The Dinosaurs have a rumbling journey which will lead them to bigger and better, though probably predictably similar, adventures

This is a great book for boys and girls, but bad for parental sanity.

Kids Perspective:
DINOSAURS! rawRAWRawr!!! My son despised this book at first, I think that some of the words were confusing and caused him to lose interest, several Dinowords on each Dinopage are prefixed with Dino for no apparent reason. We came back to this book a month or so later and he began obsessive rereading. He interacts with the pages and wants to know the names of each dinosaur. He also appreciates when people read the 'Kersplash!' Which is kind of hidden on an important page.

Parent Perspective:
If I never see the word Dino again, I might STILL harbor some hatred for this book's author and illustrator. My son adores this book but it drives me bonkers. At one point I had to purposefully read the book with on the fly Dino censorship just to be able to keep my brain from melting.

It is strange that the Dinos are going on a trip for no reason.. None of the Carnivores are eating the lesser creatures.. The train is filled with Coal and Oil and Lumber and Grain... Isn't it a bit wring for them to be riding in a train fueled by the corpses of their ancestors?

Lastly, Lizards should not drive trains.. Not only is the bridge broken, but so are their brakes on a huge downhill slope. Investing in maintenance is a super important message that parents should sneak into the story. Learn them kids while they be young.

Don't giggle too hard when you see the Dinosaurs in a very orgy looking hug. That is just your adult brain screwing with you, it is totally tame and safe, gutter brain.

In the end, the Spawn loves it, so all the pain is worth it.… (más)

I liked this book because I thought the writing flowed nicely. The book was written in a poetic form which kept a good pace for the reader. There were only 4 lines on each page and the lines all rhymed with each other which I thought was fun and engaging. I thought this book was appropriate for younger readers because it is so easy to read. I also liked the characters in the book because they were dinosaurs. I think any book that has cartoon dinosaurs in it is going to be funny or engaging for kids. I liked the persistence that the characters held. They were determined to see their train trip all the way through no matter the obstacles. I also enjoyed the illustrations because they were bright and colorful. Thy really captured the audiences eye and I think they did a good job of depicting the text. They also took up the entire two pages per four lines of text which I also thought was good for younger readers. The big picture of this story is to never give up on your goal, no matter the obstacles.… (más)