Dad and the Dinosaur

By Gennifer Choldenko, Dan Santat (Illustrator)

A boy's courage is tested when his toy dinosaur, his source of bravery, goes missing.

5.8/7 Bookroo experts·3.8/5 Goodreads · 1,440 ratings

40 pages· 494 words· Est. 4 min read-aloud

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Bookroo's summary

Nicholas fears the dark, bugs, and manhole covers, unlike his fearless dad. With his trusty toy dinosaur, he conquers his fears, scaling walls and facing challenges. But when the dinosaur vanishes, Nicholas must confront his fears alone. Can he find courage without his prehistoric friend, or will he learn that even the bravest need help sometimes? Join Nicholas on a journey of bravery and discovery in this touching tale of father-son bonds and facing fears.

From the publisher

A heartwarming father-son story about bravery and facing fears.

Nicholas was afraid of the dark outside his door, the bushes where the giant bugs live, and the underside of manhole covers.

His dad was not afraid of anything.

Nicholas wants to be as brave as his dad, but he needs help. That’s why he needs a dinosaur. After all, dinosaurs like the dark, bugs are nothing to them, and they eat manhole covers for lunch (and everything under them for dinner).

With his toy dinosaur, Nicholas can scale tall walls, swim in deep water, even score a goal against the huge goalie everyone calls Gorilla. But when the dinosaur goes missing, everything is scary again.

Luckily, his dad knows that even the bravest people can get scared, and it’s okay to ask for help facing your fears. It’s just guy stuff.

At a glance

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 40
Words: 494
Reading age: 5–8
Audience: Picture
Lexile: AD560L

Themes & topics

Books about facing fears Books about dads Books about overcoming fears Books about childhood Books about imagination

What readers & critics say

Reviews

5.8

out of 7

6.3

“Little Nick looks up to his dad (Big Nick) so much—he doesn't seem to be afraid of anything and so Little Nick comes up with a little helper (his dinosaur!) to help him be just as brave as his dad. Even though his mom tries to help him earlier on, the fact of life is that sometimes a child is just more receptive to one parent than another in any given moment, and the bonding moment this son and his father have as they go in search of what Little Nick needs most is just lovely.”

Marmee

Trusted reviewer

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