Rescek, Sanja. Dinosaur, Dinosaur, Say Good Night: and Other Bedtime Rhymes. Sanja Rescek, Illus. Tiger Tales, 05/2025. [28]pp. Poetry. Trade $18.99. 978-1-6643-0057-6. GRADES Baby/Toddler–Kindergarten. ADDITIONAL.
Originally published in the UK in 2019 in board book format, this collection of new nursery rhymes is based on popular rhymes but with dinosaur characters. For example, “Rock-a-bye Dino” uses the pattern of “Rock-a-bye Baby” but replaces the baby with a baby dinosaur. There are twenty rhymes, and nearly all of them could work well in a dinosaur-themed storytime, including “Dinosaur, Dinosaur” which is based on “Teddy Bear, Teddy Bear,” and “Five Little Dinosaurs” which works as a fingerplay. Overall, this is a pleasant collection but in some cases the rhymes have very little original content, changing just a few words from the original. The full-color artwork has an airbrushed quality, depicting the dinosaurs as sweet stuffed animals.
Penny Peck—San José State University iSchool