Dinosaur Dreams

Deborah Dowson is a children’s librarian in Caledon East, Ontario.

Dinosaurs remain as popular as ever as a subject for children’s
picture books. The dinosaurs depicted in this book are of the cute,
cuddly, and silly variety—the nonthreatening kind that resemble
stuffed toys.

After posing the question “What if we were descended from dinosaurs
... Would we dream dinosaur dreams?” the book presents different
“dinosaur dreams” that are full of fun and exuberant activities that
kids like to do. We see a dinosaur taking a bubble bath, finger
painting, and having a snowball fight, among other things.

The attractive and enjoyable illustrations compensate for what is a
rather convoluted argument for having dinosaurs behaving like children.
At the end of the book, children are invited to make use of a blank page
to depict their own “dinosaur dream.” Recommended with reservations.