A Firm Favourite (Dance of the Dinosaurs - Colin Hawkins)

Member Name: DavyMichelle

Product:	Dance of the Dinosaurs - Colin Hawkins
Date:	20/04/09 (107 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Rhymes, Low Price, Brilliant Pictures

Disadvantages: None

I have to agree with the other reviewer who's given this five shiny stars. This is one of the best kids books I've read this year. It cost the Mrs £1 from the local Poundstretcher would you believe?! The RRP is actually £5.99 though you can get it cheaper some places. It's £4.99 from Play.com at the minute or you might be lucky enough to find it in your local Poundstretcher too.

This is a nice big book that's about A4 size in landscape format. It's a great book for sharing with a kid at bedtime as they can see it all clearly while they're laying down in their bed. The pictures fill up every page and are really good quality too. This isn't as detailed as some kids books that I've seen but I think that the sheer size of the pictures compensates for this.

On each page, the story is written in rhyme that flows easily when you read it aloud. The story takes us through Cat, Dee and Georgie on an adventure through a stormy night to visit the nearby land of the dinosaurs. Cat (who is the children's pet cat) leads the way and they all fly off together in a hot air balloon.

In the land of the dinosaurs, the children learn how a storm is made. I love the use of words here, the book makes really good use of a variety of crashing and thrashing words so that the sounds you read mimick the sounds of the storm. I think it's a lovely concept to imagine that it's dinosaurs jumping around who actually make the storms too, it's a lovely idea for little ones to go to sleep dreaming about.

The end of the story sees the kids get back in their balloon and go home. While the dinosaurs remain far away and lay snoozing on the last page "The Dinosaurs dreamt under the starlight. Of another Dance on another night..."

This really is a great book that just rolls off your tongue as you read it. Our grandson is four and he really loves this. I think it's suitable for kids of about two or three years right through to being seven or eight years old.

Summary: Highly Recommended