Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Danny and the Dinosaur


There are the books my twelve year old is 
assigned to read in the seventh grade, and
then there are the books that are actually in
his head. This morning he was quoting
from Danny and the Dinosaur, so what
the hey,  I'm going to review Danny and
the Dinosaur.
At the library today I was discussing early
readers with the librarian and trying to 
find a tactful way of describing why my
six year old did not enjoy most of the
readers.
"The stories are kind of .  .  . " I hesitated.
"Stupid?" she supplied. "Yes, we'll sometimes
pull one out for story time because it fits the
theme, look at it and put it right back."
Danny and the Dinosaur is not stupid.
It's pure wish fulfillment. You go to the
museum, you see the dinosaur, you want
the dinosaur, the dinosaur follows you
home and is the best playmate ever.
Well, not you maybe, but that's what
happens to Danny.
The author/illustrator Syd Hoff also wrote 
Captain Cat which my (then) four year old chose,
much to my chagrin, over much prettier
books. So the bold cartoony style appeals
to my boys, and probably most kids.
There is a list near the beginning of things
in the museum, and that's what my son
quoted this morning. It is a very easy reader
with rhythmic logical words.
Note: if anyone can think of a book for a 
twelve year old that would interest my 
twelve year old, I would be very grateful.
His interest is entirely in the words, and
not the story at all.
Yours Somewhat Desperately,
Spectrum Mom
*Find other Danny fans & 
share your thoughts 
https://www.facebook.com/autism.reads 
(or you can comment here)

No comments:

Post a Comment