The Children’s Book Review | August 27, 2016
Written by Laurie Berkner
Illustrated by Ben Clanton
Age Range: 4-8
Hardback: 40 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
ISBN: 978-1481464635
What to expect: Songs, dinosaurs, rhyming, adventure
WE ARE THE DINOSAURS is a delightful romp into the musical, roar-tastic world of little dinosaurs.
Lauri Berkner, award-winning children’s entertainer, has created an exciting tale of little dinos going on an adventure. They begin their day kissing their parent dinosaurs goodbye. They travel along, “Mak[ing] the Earth flat,” as they stomp up the local mountain. Once there, they share a tasty picnic and take a much-needed nap. But, uh-oh! The mountain begins to shake and rumble! Down, down the dinosaurs go, stomping and roaring all the way back to their parents. Their grand adventure ends in hugs and snuggles, and a recounting of their glorious time up the mountain.
Laurie Berkner’s lyrical prose (it is a catchy song as well, you can find it online) immediately grabs children’s attention. Parent’s can’t help but read the words in a sing-song voice. Ben Clanton’s bright illustrations, rendered in colored pencil, acrylic paint and water color, are engaging and adorable. The little dinosaur friends are so cuddly children will want to reach out and snuggle with one. The adventure is exciting, but not too exciting for a read before bedtime.
You’ll find yourself singing the words to the book all throughout your day. Kid’s love it, and parents can’t help but love it, too. Highly recommended.
Available Here:
About Laurie Berkner
Recognized as “the queen of children’s music” (People magazine), Laurie Berkner is a singer, songwriter, lyricist, author, and founder of Two Tomatoes Records, LLC. She has released eleven best-selling, award-winning albums over the course of the past two decades, was the first recording artist ever to perform in music videos on Nick Jr., appeared regularly on the network’s Jack’s Big Music Show, and helped develop the short-form animated musical preschool series Sing It, Laurie! on Sprout TV. Laurie has written the music and lyrics for two Off-Broadway children’s musicals, Wanda’s Monster and The Amazing Adventures of Harvey and the Princess, produced by New York City Children’s Theater. She is currently working on a third NYCCT musical, Interstellar Cinderella, set to open in November 2017. Laurie tours nationwide, performing both solo and with The Laurie Berkner Band. What sets Laurie apart? Her music speaks to kids without talking down to them, charming youngsters without boring grownups. Laurie finds inspiration in her audience. “I want to create songs that matter for children,” she says. “I was singing once and saw a four-year-old girl shut her eyes and start swaying to the music. I thought, ‘That’s the reason I got into music.’ It keeps me wanting to do more.”
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We Are the Dinosaurs, by Laurie Berkner was reviewed by Denise Mealy. Discover more books like We Are the Dinosaurs by following along with our reviews and articles tagged with Dinosaurs and Picture Book.