Thursday 17 December 2009

YOUNG ADULT REVIEW: Dinosaur's, Dragon's and Kraken's Day

BOOK BLURB:
Welcome to Dinosaur Park - a prehistoric explosion of four lavishly illustrated pop-ups! Unlock the press-out dinosaurs and release them into each scene. Help Tyrannosaurus rex chase a herd of hadrosaurs among the rocky cliffs of T-rex Valley and find the Maiasaura babies' mummy in the forest. Have a headbutt competition with the Triceratops beneath the fiery Triceratops Volcano and meet all the prehistoric residents of Diplodocus Lake. Use the spotter guide to find out whose footprints wind across every scene.


REVIEW:
What do you get when you take Dinosaur’s, Pop Up books and top it off with a childs imagination. Dinosaur Theatre. Does this sound strange? Are you intrigued?

Well to be short about it, yes I was and I really did have a lot of fun with this. What made it all the more magical was a Dinosaur guide, some cut out Dinosaurs kept in what looked like a locked box and a nephew who was very perplexed. Obviously this didn’t last long and when he got the idea of what was happening as well as seeing some of the scenes a good couple of hours was had playing with the Dino’s and enjoying everything that this book had to offer. Whilst it’s a tad unconventional I do get the feeling that this might inspire a Palaeontologist or two in the future. A great book and one that I’ve already had his Mum and Dad, both sets of Grandparent’s and a jealous friend or two asking about. One thing I will say to people is, if you get this title see if you can buy some plastic dinosaurs of about the right scale to go with it. Dino theatre will be at your beck and call and theres hours more fun to be had.



BOOK BLURB:
Are you ready with your roars? Let's say hello to the dinosaurs!

Go wild with this baby T Rex and all his dinosaur friends. Young children will love to stroke their bumpy scales and join in calling out their noises: Swish! Kaaark! Roar!

Bright and colourful, with tactile coral frosting on every page, this is sure to appeal to any young dinosaur fan.


REVIEW:
If there’s one subject guaranteed to grab the mind of most Young Adult Readers it is Dinosaurs. So when this book landed I wanted to get an expert opinion. Obviously as an adult my thoughts only count a little but when you bring to the fore a nephew who is absolutely quackers (and who’s to say some Dinosaur’s didn’t) about the subject then it stood to reason that what he said would be right.

What he noticed pretty quickly was that each of the dinosaur’s had a texture that could be felt beneath as the tale was read to him and it was something that jumped out and had him touching each and everyone as each page was opened. Add to the mix that he loved repeating the dinosaur names alongside the rhythm of the words and it really did become something special in his mind. What I especially liked was a quiz at the end to see how much was remembered by the reader which demonstrated to me that a book and time with a young reader is perhaps one of the best ways to spend that quality time together as reading is a gift forever.



BOOK BLURB:
Kenneth is a little rabbit with a very big problem. His two best friends are heading for a battle of legendary proportions - with each other! In one corner there's Grahame, a well-read and cultured dragon, with sophisticated tastes and no stomach for battle. In the other, there's George, a retired knight and dragon slayer who would be content to spend the rest of his days in his bookshop with a pipe and a good book. But when the townsfolk catch wind there's a dragon running loose in the countryside, and call George out of retirement, the stage is set. And it's up to Kenny to avert disaster. A fun-filled, thoroughly theatrical spin on a classic tale of subterfuge and showmanship.


REVIEW:
Most people will know Tony from his work with Holly Black, yet here in his own book is a story that will take the reader into a different world of knighthood that they will come to love.

It's a story of honour, valour and above all friendship that will have the readers enjoying the tale as it unfolds. A great offering and one that shows that people can get along no matter what their differences are, or how they feel about the world when friendships can change the outcomes of everything and not everything has to end in conflict.



BOOK BLURB:
The Time Pirates are getting bored. No-one has tried to take over the world for weeks, and things are getting pretty dull. But all that's about to change when water levels start rising fast . . . very fast! A journey through history to the underwater city of Atlantis holds the key to the rising water. Can the Time Pirates battle the crazed kraken and break Poseidon's curse in time to save the world?

With a nail-bitingly exciting story, press-out pieces, two stand-alone pop-up vehicles and an amazing pop-up underwater world - this is the perfect book for young adventure fans!


REVIEW:
This offering is a bit of a strange one, whilst you have a tale to unwind within, there’s also a wondering added bonus of creatures, human’s and sets of a theatrical nature for you to open and play with utilising the pop up feature within. It’s a corker of an idea and one that will present a few hours of pure entertainment even for adults like myself, so god know’s how much fun your Young Reader will have with this. (Mind you they won’t appreciate it on as many levels as you do. LOL) A quirky, fun thing that will allow you to try something a little different out in your household.

1 comment:

Selestial said...

OMG, I HAVE to get KENNY & THE DRAGON for my son. That looks so fun!