This is NOT a Dinosaur!

One of the beautiful features of children’s picture books is that they can be delightfully nonsensical and simply relish in the pure joy of language. This Is NOT A Dinosaur! is just such a book. Here, a young boy journeys along with a giant, green character you might very easily mistake for a dinosaur but instead is any number of other things: a “shine-osaur” when brushing teeth, a “supersonic-kick-osaur” when playing soccer, a “leap-osaur” when raking leaves, a “sleep-osaur” when napping, and a “helpful-with your-hair-osaur” when getting a very cool haircut, among many other iterations. Last and possibly best of all, this creature is “’You’re mine-osaur’” when giving a huge hug.

Barry Timms has written a wonderful, silly book that takes children on a funny, imaginative journey that will keep them wanting to turn pages to see what craziness comes next. Ged Adamson’s illustrations provide the perfect complement with their bright colors and humorous interpretation of the text. Best of all, this book provides the perfect excuse for giving all the little kid-osaurs enormous hugs.