All Aboard the Dinosaur Express

All Aboard the Dinosaur Express

All Aboard the Dinosaur Express

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All Aboard the Dinosaur Express

Timothy Knapman

Ed Eaves

Bloomsbury, 2015

Pbk., 32pp., RRP $A15.99

9781408849361

 

There is such excitement on the station platform as all the little dinosaurs await the arrival of the Dinosaur Express.  At last, it comes into view –

The engine’s like a T-Rex head, the carriages have scales

It’s faster than a pterosaur – it flies along the rails!

Eagerly each little dinosaur climbs aboard, the stationmaster waves a flag and there’s a mighty Hiss! Chug-Chug! and then the engine roars. 

Told in rhyming couplets that emphasise the rhythm of a train on the tracks and illustrated with the brightest colours, this is a wonderful, rollicking story about a train journey that would be the envy of any little person who harbours a desire to be a train driver, especially when the narrator has the golden ticket that means he gets to drive the train himself!  A wonderful combination of the dreams of many – trains and dinosaurs. 

Apart from just being a great story that will entertain young readers, there’s scope to talk about how the rhythm of the words add to the atmosphere and even how the author shapes the imagination with phrases like “the engine’s like a T-Rex head”. “doors like pterodactyl wings” and “seats like allosaurus paws” beginning them on their journey of becoming critical readers.  The illustrations are rich in detail encouraging a closer look and something new to discover each time this story is read.  This is likely to be a favourite.

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