Dad and the Dinosaur

Dad and the Dinosaur
By Gennifer Choldenko
Illustrated by Dan Santat
G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Penguin Random House LLC, 2017. Picture Book.

Nicholas is afraid of many things—but his dad is not. Nicholas wants to be more like his dad. In order to be brave, Nicholas carries around a dinosaur with him. The toy dinosaur helps him in so many ways: from not getting scared of the dark to playing sports better. Only, one day after a soccer match Nicholas realizes that he lost his dinosaur. How can he ever feel brave again? This is a sweet story (and a perfect one to read just before Father’s Day next month!). Nicholas idolizes his dad, and it is nice to see that his dad is actually a really nice guy. This is a good story about being scared and going to the adults in your life to help you conquer your fears. And as an added bonus the illustrations are amazing! Seriously, that last page where Nicholas and Big Nick are silhouetted while looking at the stars (with the hint of the dinosaur in the light pollution) I wanted to hang up the book and put it on my wall—the art is that beautiful. It is interesting that you never actually see the face of Nicholas’ dad, but that just helps with the illusion that he could be any brave father figure in a young kid’s life. Pick up this book and show it to the young kids who want to be brave (or who idolize their dad’s) in your life. They will be glad you did!

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