Rory The Dinosaur Wants A Pet product reviews

This is a delightful story about a little dinosaur who wants to find a pet. The pictures are charming; the animals are brightly coloured and easily recognisable. Miss Four was able to retell the story in her own words after the first reading, and when we read through it a second time she had remembered a number of the words and was able to repeat them with me. Some of the pictures were really hilarious - Rory and his pet in the bath, and Rory and George on the seesaw both sent her into fits of giggles. We talked about how George might roll down the seesaw and bump Rory in the tummy, and that was just too funny for words.

We interrupted the second reading several times to explore other ideas such as the way that hermit crabs find a home and why dinosaurs can't usually climb trees. Miss Four was really animated when we were reading and her face was lit up with excitement, but when we stopped to talk about related ideas she became quite serious and was clearly enthusiastic about learning new concepts too. At first I had feared that the book might be too young for her, but it was actually just right. It was an instant hit. On another level, it is a story about how children bond with their pets but often have special treasures too that go to bed with them and are a comfort when it is time to go to sleep.

Because the storyline itself is quite simple and she is already starting to read a few words, it will not be long before Miss Four can read the whole book by herself. It is the right size for little hands, and the bright cover makes it instantly appealing. When she first saw it, Miss Four asked if she could have it - and that was before either of us had actually looked inside! There is good use of white space throughout so that the illustrations and text stand out clearly, and this lack of clutter makes it really accessible to small children. The font is reasonably big, and the style varies according to whether it is part of the narration or the actual words of one of the characters.

After we had finished, I asked Miss Four if she would like to keep it or whether I should take it away again. She looked horrified and then began to laugh. "But it's my pet!" she insisted. Lesson learned - she got to keep the book!