Dinosaur Christmas by Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by
Howard McWilliam. 2013. 32 pgs. New York, NY: Scholastic. 9780545433600. Format
reviewed: Hardcover.
Annotation: A child asks Santa Claus what pulled his sleigh before
reindeers. Santa describes all the different dinosaurs he used (unsuccessfully).
Reaction: The book takes two beloved children’s subjects- Santa Claus and
dinosaurs- and makes it work flawlessly. Santa describes all the different
species of dinosaurs he tried, and why they didn’t work out so well,
emphasizing key feature/characteristics of each species, teaching children
about dinosaur behavior.
Primary early literacy skill enhanced: Vocabulary. Children have a fluency
in mastering the mammoth species names of Dinosaurs. Features species including
Triceratops, Parasaurolophus, Pterosaurs, Velociraptors, Giganotosaurus,
Tyrannosaurus rex, Maiasaurus, Styracosaurus, Stegosaurus, Gallimimus, and Apatosaurus.
Recommended ages: Ages 4 and up. Publisher lists five and up, but the text is
sparse and the storyline straightforward- only the dinosaur species names seem
“difficult”.
Tags/Themes: Christmas, Santa Claus, Dinosaurs.
Author site/additional titles:
Illustrator site/additional titles: http://mcbillhow.wordpress.com/about/
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