I’ve been looking forward to reading this book to my children for a couple of months. Just the general idea of a Dinosaur Beach had all the right elements for a perfect summer holiday read. In this story Farmer Jack, Dino Dog and the other dinosaurs from Dinosaur Farm get to go to the beach.
My children were very amused (especially the 2 year old) by the destruction that the dinosaurs caused in the pictures which was a bit different to the interpretation in the text. Interestingly I sat and listened to the words when the husband read it to them and I had no idea what was actually happening as I couldn’t see the images. It seemed like a very different book to what it is when you just listen rather than look and listen. I thought this was interesting in itself and me and the boy who is in year 2 set about doing our own picture book where the illustrations changed the nature of the story. Its a really great idea and I think has helped him with his story writing which he struggles with.
Frann Preston-Gannon produces some of the nicest illustrations in the picture book world and this book is no exception. My children didn’t think it quite as good as How to Lose a Lemur, but I think that there is a lot of merit in it in terms of considering the power of writing and how images can change ideas and perceptions. I’d recommend it for this purpose alone, if you like doing educational things with the children this is a brilliant weapon in your KS1 arsenal!
Disclaimer: We were gifted this for review purposes
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