How to Grow a Dinosaur

by Jill Esbaum (Author) Mike Boldt (Illustrator)

Reading Level: K − 1st Grade

A big-kid dinosaur can't wait to teach the new baby everything in this funny, tender, joyful take on becoming a big sister or brother, from the celebrated artist of I Don't Want to Be a Frog.

Good news: Your mom's hatching a baby!

Bad news: Babies take their sweet time.

And when they finally do hatch? They're too little to play! They don't even know how to be a dinosaur. That's where you come in. You can teach your baby everything--from peek-a-boo to roaring to table manners to bedtime.

Growing a dinosaur is a big job, but you're perfect for it. Because one thing the baby wants more than anything? It's to be just like you. Silly humor and sincere, moving moments, make this hilarious, reassuring, and useful "guide" a must for existing big brothers and sisters and for every big brother and big sister to-be. Great fun for family reading too. 

Select format:
Hardcover
$18.99

Kirkus

While Esbaum and Boldt can’t address every aspect of having a new baby around the house, they hit the relevant highlights—the serious, the horrific, and the hysterical—and tenderly portray the growing bond between the two children.

Publishers Weekly

Babies can be loud, smelly, and unpredictable, but they also give older siblings a chance to become role models. These are familiar topics, but Esbaum (Frankenbunny) and Boldt (There's Nothing to Do!) infuse them with fresh comedy by transplanting them to a dinosaur household, where readers meet a newly minted older sibling with orange scales, a huge head, expressive eyes, and a toothy grin. The hero struggles to find footing with the baby (who is pink and quite adorable in its dino diaper), but Esbaum offers the reminder that "you're the perfect one to teach that baby everything." Some of the older sibling's ideas work better than others: presented with the family's pet saber-toothed cat, the baby promptly turns it into a teether. But soon a happy friendship is forged. Esbaum combines the classic cheerleading tone of the how-to genre with shouted choruses of "Good news!" and "Bad news!" that reflect the peaks and valleys of siblinghood. It's an ideal setup for Boldt's broadly funny digital paintings, which include an entire spread devoted to dinosaur tantrums. Ages 2-5. Author's agent: Tricia Lawrence, Erin Murphy Literary. Illustrator's agent: Jennifer Rofe, Andrea Brown Literary. (Jan.)

Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

Review quotes

"Esbaum and Boldt [hit] the serious, the horrific, and the hysterical—and tenderly portray the growing bond between the two children." —Kirkus

"One of the cutest new sibling picture books I've read." —Imagination Soup

"[A] funny and sweet take on bringing a new addition into a family . . . allowing for maximum comic effect." —SLJ

"Wonderfully succinct . . . A delightfully funny, tender book on being a big sibling." —Maria Marshall's Making Nature Fun

"Hilarious." —Inspiration Laboratories

"A big hit . . . and I can see why. . . . I wish it was around when my oldest was getting ready to become a big sister." —Picture Books to YA
Jill Esbaum
JILL ESBAUM is a widely published author of books for young readers. She is a frequent school visitor and conference speaker. She teaches writing for children at the University of Iowa Summer Writing Festival.
Classification
Fiction
ISBN-13
9780399539107
Lexile Measure
470
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Dial Books
Publication date
January 23, 2018
Series
-
BISAC categories
JUV002060 - Juvenile Fiction | Animals | Dinosaurs & Prehistoric Creatures
JUV013070 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Siblings
JUV013040 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | New Baby
Library of Congress categories
Dinosaurs
Brothers and sisters
Babies
Infants

Subscribe to our delicious e-newsletter!