How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends?

Written by Jane Yolen
Illustrated by Mark Teague
Published in 2006

Why we chose this book:
We received a copy of this at our playgroup some time ago, and now T is getting into his dinosaur phase. We read this with his toy dinosaurs and made them "talk" with us about it afterward.

Mom's Review

Various dinosaurs demonstrate how one should and should not play with others.

To start the book, the audience is asked a series of questions about how dinosaurs play, implying that these initial examples were undesirable. Children are then told, "No. A dinosaur doesn't. He knows how to play," followed by examples of friendly behavior. As I read it I was wondering, however, if the message would translate from dinosaurs to humans. Ever since reading about how children identify with human characters, but not animals, I wonder how effective the morals of these stories are. (I mentioned this in a past post.) In talking to T, I saw that he indeed focused more on dinosaurs than how he could play with friends.

As far as the dinosaurs themselves are concerned, I liked that the type of dinosaur was labeled on each page. I hadn't noticed it the first time I read it because it is so small; T and I had wondered what some of the dinosaurs were, so I was glad to find answers right there.

Son's Review
(age 3 years)

Mom: Do you like this book? What's your favorite part?

Son: Yeah. This page...when they go on the slide.

Mom: Do you go on slides?

Son: Yeah, at Elm Park I do.

Mom: Do you think these dinosaurs are real nice? Should we learn anything from them?

Son: Yeah. I learn if you're stuck, somebody will unstuck you.

Mom: Do you think these dinosaurs do a good job playing with their friends?

Son: Yeah.

Mom: Would you want to be friends with these dinosaurs?

Son: Yeah, I would say share your toys!

Mom: What should you do when a friend comes over? Should you hog all your dump trucks?
(This is an example from the book.)

Son: I should hug all my dump trucks.

Mom: What about your friends?

Son: Should I hug my friends?

Mom: If your friends want hugs.

Son: You should hug your friends if they want hugs!