I’m a Dirty Dinosaur (Janeen Brian & Ann James, Viking)

Independently and together, Janeen Brian and Ann James have produced many successful and award-winning picture books for young children. Both know how to appeal to children’s sense of fun, and how much they love to take an active part in the reading. Toddlers in particular love to join in the playful antics depicted in books such as this one, and never tire of hearing the same story over and over, which helps to develop their reading skills. So this book will be a great success at an early childhood level. It is about getting dirty and enjoying it—a pursuit all toddlers can relate to. It has action, repetition and rhyming text, and will be fun for young children to join in with. It has simple, uncluttered illustrations that focus on the main character, the mud and very little else besides a small bird, which adds extra interest. James uses ‘magic pencil, mud and watercolour’ for the illustrations, and she probably got very dirty in the process. This fun book could be successful as a prelude to bath time, urging reluctant bathers to dive right in. It is recommended for early childhood.

Margaret Hamilton is a former children’s book publisher. She now provides freelance publishing services and runs Pinerolo, the Children’s Book Cottage in Blackheath, NSW

Books+Publishing pre-publication reviews are supported by the Copyright Agency Cultural Fund.

Category: Reviews