Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
Dinosaur Starts School
Illustrator: Deborah Allright
Picture Book
For ages 4 to 7
Albert Whitman, 2008 ISBN: 0807516007
What would you do if your dinosaur decided that he does not need to go to school because “dinosaurs don’t have to go to school?” Would you yell at him and tell him that he is being silly? Or, would you talk to him calmly and explain that he has to go to school so that he can “grow up to be smart.” Of course, being a good person, you would explain why he needs to go to school in a kind way. If he is afraid to go into the school building because it is “too big,” you will explain that everything will be all right because the classroom “is just the right size for dinosaurs.”
Going to school for the first time can be a frightening thing for a small child to do. Thankfully, Pamela Duncan Edwards has written this story about a boy who helps his dinosaur get through that first day. With humor and sensitivity, this picture book tackles the many fears a child might have on his or her first day of school. The child in the story shows his big friend that school is not a scary place. Instead, it is a place where you can make friends and have plenty of fun.
