Dinosaur Vs. Bedtime Autographed Version (2009) - Plot & Excerpts
In Dinosaur vs. Bedtime, Bob Shea uses naïve, comic illustration style, combined with bold text, bright colors and a dash of mixed media to create a visually interesting, adventure of a book that will definitely appeal to preschoolers. This simple storyline invites reader participation as a very busy little dinosaur tackles everyday challenges like “the big slide,” a bowl of spaghetti and talking grownups, triumphing over each with a giant roar! Roar! ROAR! With its predictable storyline, repetitive text, and familiar scenarios that are typical to a preschooler’s world, this fun and inviting book would be an excellent choice for reader participation, and print awareness. Shea’s illustrations are bold, with heavy lines that are easy to see, and his selective inclusion of mixed media imagery—the giant bowl of spaghetti for example, adds an additional element of texture and visual interest. Furthermore, Shea manipulates page layout, image placement, and narrative flow to keep the reader’s interest throughout. We see everything from the perspective of a young child. The “talking grownups” that Dinosaur must conquer are only shown from the legs down, the slide feels exciting as we experience it through Dinosaur’s eyes. This book simply begs to be read with enthusiasm, allowing readers to share in the delight of “winning” as they roar, Roar, ROAR right along with Dinosaur. The typeset and font size give visual clues as to the volume at which one should be “roaring” the text. Shea’s spare narrative succeeds in building up a feeling of repeated anticipation through imagery. As tiny Dinosaur conquers each challenge with a big ROAR, he grows in size taking up a full page—“DINOSAUR WINS”—and then on the subsequent page he is small again and roaring quietly in anticipation of his next challenge. Additionally, Shea’s bold use of color helps children to easily identify Dinosaur’s different moods as he attacks and defeats each consecutive challenge. Preschool children will identify with the rowdy dinosaur who tackles every challenge with gusto, and because they enjoy imaginative play, they will easily understand that the “dinosaur” in the book is actually a child playing pretend. When sharing this book I might add a creative dramatic or participatory element by having the audience play the part of the dinosaur as I present each “opponent” to be “roared down” by the dinosaur audience. This story might lend itself to a successful puppet and prop rendition as well. Mommy's review from 9/15/11 - I have to mention that I'm not positive we've read this book. I *think* we read this awhile back but I know we heard and watched the book on t.v.Before we switched to Fios we had service by Atlantic Broadband and on their On Demand feature we watched a few animated cartoons that had been formed from children's books.I think I remember reading this after finding it in the library, after watching the little cartoon, but either way we know how it goes and it's a cute little story.
What do You think about Dinosaur Vs. Bedtime Autographed Version (2009)?
So cute. I love Dinosaur's big personality & conquering spirit
—jullime
My son loves it when I growl, therefore it gets a 5 star
—stef
It was a mildly amusing book. That's about it.
—kassie670
