Dino-Football

by Wheeler Lisa and Gott Barry

[violetpeanut]

I recently received an ARC of this book and read it with my 5 year old son.

His thoughts:
1. He loved the pictures. They were bright and full of action and kept his interest throughout.
2. He loved the competition aspect of the story. He picked a favorite team and rooted for them through the entire story just as if he were watching a real football game on tv.
3. This book made him feel like he had something in common with his dad who loves football.

My thoughts:
1. I agree that the illustrations were fantastic. They were colorful and made us laugh.
2. The story itself is cute and is exciting when read aloud - reminiscent of a sports announcer calling plays during a live game. This really kept my son engaged and excited about the book.
3. There are quite a few football terms that many kids - younger children in particular - may not understand (for example: "Holding. Penalty declined," "tailgating," "coin toss" among others). My son did not understand all of these terms but we were able to have a conversation afterward about what they meant. For some kids this is a good opportunity to become more familiar with the game. For others this may detract from the story.
4. As other reviewer's have noted, this would not be a book I would recommend for beginning readers. There are lots of words that are not easy to "sound-out" - the dinosaur names in particular. I don't think this necessarily detracts from the book as long as you understand that before purchasing. I think this book is best when read aloud to the child.

Overall this was a fun read and would be enjoyed by any sports and/or dinosaur fan.