View source for Ten Little Dinosaurs by Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty

{{infobox2
|title=Ten Little Dinosaurs
|author=Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty 
|reviewer=Z J Cookson
|genre=For Sharing
|summary=A fun and appealing counting book that children won't want to put down. Highly recommended for children from age two.
|rating=5
|buy=Yes
|borrow=Yes
|pages=32
|publisher=Orchard Books
|date=May 2015
|isbn=978-1408334003 
|aznuk=1408334003
|aznus=1408334003
|cover=1408334003
}}
When I was a child it was ten green bottles standing on the wall. Since then Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty have brought us the exploits of ''Ten Little Princesses'' and ''Ten Little Pirates''. Now they invite us to explore the prehistoric world of ''Ten Little Dinosaurs''.

Ten little dinosaurs set off to explore a world where Diplodocus stomp, hungry plants slurp and mountains go boom. If you've read the other books in the series, you'll know the format as one by one the dinosaurs disappear and we count down until there's just one little dinosaur facing the large 'scary creature stomping through the gloom.' But don't worry, despite all the mishaps, the book has a happy ending. 

With its sing-song predictable rhyme and rhythm the text is great fun to read and children will soon be able learn it by heart and join in. The adventures are exciting and original. I particularly liked it when they found themselves in a 'tricky fix' with the pterosaur and longed to be able to join the six little dinosaurs as they ducked, dived and splashed in the bubbling springs. There are a few words that will need to be explained to children when you first read the story but this will be easy enough with the aid of the pictures and will help expand their vocabulary.

The highly stylized and colourful pictures are incredibly appealing. There's not the same scope to personalise dinosaurs as there was with pirates, but Simon Rickerty has made great use of colour and texture and also given the dinosaurs a collection of props ranging from a flower and a bone to a toadstool hat with a snail perched on the top. The little details he includes also add interest to almost every page whether they are bats or insects, fruit, nesting birds or crabs.

As you might expect for what is essentially a counting book, there are large numbers in a broken eggshell at the bottom of each page to help children learn to recognise the number symbol. The use of different colours for each of the dinosaurs mean the book could also be used to teach colour recognition at home or in pre-school. 

Overall, this is a fun and appealing counting book that children won't want to put down. Highly recommended for children from age two.

Further reading suggestion: [[Ten Little Pirates by Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty|Ten Little Pirates]] and [[Ten Little Princesses by Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty|Ten Little Princesses]] also by Mike Brownlow and Simon Rickerty

{{amazontext|amazon=1408334003}}
{{amazonUStext|amazon=1408334003}}

{{commenthead}}

[[Category:Mike Brownlow]]
[[Category:Simon Rickerty]]