I Love My Dinosaur by Caroline Jayne Church is one of my son's favorites. Perhaps it's because of the shiny bright green dinosaur on the cover that has a squishy leathery feel to it. Maybe it's because I sound ridiculous when I read the part about how "Dino thinks he's very scary when he makes loud roaring sounds." Emphasis on the roaring! Or maybe it's because I've read it to him so many times that it's become the equivalent of comfort food to him -- always willing to eat it but that doesn't mean it's the best food out there.
The book starts off with a boy saying he loves his dinosaur. And he's proud of it! From the first illustration the reader can already tell that this is no ordinary dinosaur (if ever there was such a thing). Standing in a perched sitting position (as if he were a dog waiting for a command to do tricks) the boy's dinosaur stares up at him with a grin on his face. The boy is then seen marveling at his dinosaur from the far right corner of the page (below illustration) as Dino stomps around roaring as he goes.
The book is definitely a sweet story and celebrates the powerful relationship between a child and his/her imaginative friends. There are so many board books out there that focus on the I love you -- I love you mommy, I love you daddy, I love my blankie, I love my brother, sister, etc. which often encourage the child to recognize and or express his/her emotions of love -- but I think I Love My Dinosaur is less about the how to be loving and more about being thankful for something special -- a friend.
More Board Books by Caroline Jayne Church: