Dylan's Amazing Dinosaurs - the Tyrannosaurus Rex by E T Harper and Dan Taylor

Dylan's Amazing Dinosaurs - the Tyrannosaurus Rex by E T Harper and Dan Taylor
Buy Dylan's Amazing Dinosaurs - the Tyrannosaurus Rex by E T Harper and Dan Taylor at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com
Category: For Sharing
Reviewer: Sam Tyler
Summary: When Dylan has a question about dinosaurs he does not ask a teacher or a parent for the answer, but instead magically travels back in time to discover the truth for himself. In E T Harper and Dan Taylor’s, Dylan's Amazing Dinosaurs - the Tyrannosaurus Rex, he comes across one of the most ferocious dinosaurs and one of his most dangerous adventures yet. 'Dylan' is a colourful and action packed story that comes with a great pop out T-Rex to play with.
Buy? Maybe	Borrow? Yes
Pages: 32	Date: April 2014
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Books
ISBN: 9781471119347
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Everyone love dinosaurs, that is as long as they stay millions of years in the past and don’t suddenly turn up in the park next time I am having a picnic. Dylan is a character who certainly loves dinosaurs, enough so that he is able to travel back in time to answer any questions he may have about their existence. Seems a little dangerous to me, especially when he comes up against the king of lizards in E T Harper and Dan Taylor’s, ‘Dylan's Amazing Dinosaurs - the Tyrannosaurus Rex’.

With the aid of his toy pterodactyl, Dylan is able to go back in time to answer burning questions about dinosaurs, such as how many teeth did a T-Rex have? Some children would probably be happy to visit the Natural History Museum in London and ask a fossil expert, but not our Dylan. He goes back millions of years to sate his curiosity whilst being chased. There must be easier ways to count teeth than being eaten by them.

‘Dylan’ is a great adventure novel, once it gets going. The book is part of a series of dinosaur stories featuring Dylan that each poses a question about a different species of dinosaur. T-Rex are universally considered one of the coolest dinosaurs, therefore this is a great book to start with. The opening pages are set in modern times and seem to follow a pattern of Dylan posing a question, then flying back in time. I imagine that the element links all the books together, but did feel a little like padding.

Once the book gets going, it has some great action. The story is a little basic, essentially one long chase sequence, but Harper does come up with a very fun way of answering Dylan’s question about T-Rex teeth. It is a book that should pique the interest of a more curious child, they too may pose some questions, just don’t promise them a trip to the past.

It is Taylor’s colourful and bold illustrations that bring the chase to life and make the book great fun. The scenes set inside a tree trunk may be a little scary for the very small, but most boys and girls will be bowled over by Taylor’s visuals. As an added bonus Taylor’s drawing of a T-Rex is also a paper model found at the book. This is perhaps the best feature about the series; each book has a different model that can be taken out and played with. Made from strong card and very colourful, the figure is fantastic and pops out to be played with instantly.

There is a fine line to be had with adding something like a paper model to a book as you can be accused of using gimmicks. In the case of ‘Dylan's Amazing Dinosaurs - the Tyrannosaurus Rex’ it is a gimmick, but one that is added to a solid read. Without the paper T-Rex, the book may not have stood out as much, but seeing as it is included, you should enjoy the great bonus.

If this book appeals then you might also enjoy Tyrannosaurus Drip by Julia Donaldson and The Super Swooper Dinosaur by Martin Waddell and Leonie Lord.

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You can read more book reviews or buy Dylan's Amazing Dinosaurs - the Tyrannosaurus Rex by E T Harper and Dan Taylor at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy Dylan's Amazing Dinosaurs - the Tyrannosaurus Rex by E T Harper and Dan Taylor at Amazon.com.

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