Dinosaurs in the Attic

Deborah Dowson is a Canadian children’s librarian in North Wales,
Pennsylvania.

The move to Drumheller Alberta is exciting for five-year-old Lucas, who
is obsessed with dinosaurs and is eager for any opportunity to see them.
His 10-year-old brother, Charlie, is not at all pleased. He insists that
dinosaurs are for babies, and he has no interest in them anymore.

One night Lucas imagines that there are dinosaurs romping in the attic
in the family’s new house. After a few days he decides to investigate
and discovers that it is Charlie playing with a box of his old dinosaur
figures. Charlie is actually grieving the loss of his best friend and
remembering how they played dinosaurs together when they were younger.
Charlie’s sadness seems to lift as he explains his feelings to Lucas
and offers him the collection of dinosaurs to play with.

The story is told from the naive perspective of an imaginative
five-year-old, and it is sometimes unclear exactly what is happening as
the line between fantasy and reality is so fluid. The book is designed
as an early chapter book that would be ideal for a very young
independent reader, perhaps in kindergarten. Otherwise, it would work
better as a story read to children of that age who are fascinated with
dinosaurs. Dan Clark’s drawings are fun and the book is very
attractively designed.

In addition to conveying its theme of growing up and letting go, the
book tells readers a little about Drumheller as a place to visit.
Recommended with reservations.