do-you-wanna-dance? rumba? moonwalk? salsa?

DINOSAUR DISCO
by Deborah Kelly, illustrated by Daron Parton - Random House Australia, 2016
ages 1 to 7 years / funny, s.t.e.m.

Tongue twisting dinosaur names are terrific for kids who like to play with words and get their mouths around new combinations of sounds – they’re also terrific for kids who are mad about dinosaurs!   

There are plenty of great Dino names and plenty of rhythm, rhyme and alliteration in Dinosaur Disco and that makes it a lot of fun to read. It’s just as much fun to look at, with Dinos dressed up in typical disco garb—with a bit of crump/krump style thrown in.

This is a story that calls for OTT enthusiasm and a sense of humour in the reading. (Don’t worry—it’s really nicely written so the words pretty much carry the reader.) 

It’s all fun and games until ... The music stops. And the ground begins to shake! 

Then it’s all about tension – dramatic pauses and the thrill of being scared. Tyrannosaurus has arrived at this dance party for herbivores! It looks bad. 

Then… using his best John Travolta/Saturday Night Fever pose … Tyrannosaurus rumbas. Now THAT'S a party!

There’s a lot to love here:

The appealing off-beat dinosaur dancing.
The fun of dinosaur names.
The litany of dance styles—from krumping to moonwalking to salsa-ing and more.
The tense moment when an outsider appears—who turns out to be a fellow dance fan.
The short dino facts at the back of the book—things like: ”Bits of Triceratops bone have been found in T-rex’s fossilized dung, so we know Triceratops was another mealtime favourite.”
The brilliant nod to pop-culture clothes on the dinosaurs—Maiasaura moonwalks wearing one white glove ala Michael Jackson etc.

There’ll be many happy bedtimes reading this one to dino or dance fans!

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