Dinotrux

Dinotrux

by Chris Gall

Millions of years ago, Dinotrux ruled the earth. These mighty part-truck, part-dino creatures rumbled, plowed and bulldozed their way through the centuries, demolishing anything in their path.  From the nosy Craneosauraus and the mega-hungry Garbageadon to the bully of the jungle, Tyrannosaurus Trux, Chris Gall guides you on a safari through the wild world of these mechanical monstes of prehistoric times. So buckle up for the ride--you'll never look at Dad's rusty old pickup the same way again.

Millions of years ago Dinotrux ruled the word, doing whatever they want whenever they please. But one day, a large flash of light and extreme storm stopped them in their tracks, and overtime their fierce scales and teeth rusted off until they became the helpful trucks of today. The pages are busy with color, activity, and imaginative pictures of trucks with dinosaur-like qualities. Varying fonts, sizes, and colors keep the words interesting and encourage voice and volume inflections while reading. Your child will love the vibrant adjectives, especially when emphasized by you.

This book is a wonderful bonding experience, as there is so much to look at and talk about. The creative names for the dinotrux include things like, craneosaurus, dozeratops, dumploducus, and more. See if you can come up with any new ones! Your little one will learn these quickly, so don't be surprised if they call out "semisaur!" next time you're diving by a semi. There is clear children's humor to enjoy, like when "Cementosaurus growled and his stomach turned...pee-you! And Blacktopadon? Don't even ask. He ALWAYS had to go." as well as more subtle humor to look for, like the cavemen's expressions and antics. With their imagination in overtime, your child will likely point at the pictures, ask questions, impersonate the dinotrux, and supply the sound effects.

I was babysitting my five-year-old friend Chris, when he brought this book to me and asked if I'd read it with him. Knowing I was new to the Dinotrux world, he took great pleasure in explaining the name of each dinotrux to me, as well as acting out their expected behaviors. It was more of a performance by him, than a reading by me, but at least we were both entertained and having fun.

--Audra