Danny and the Dinosaur

Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff

Pages: 64 pgs.
Ages: 5+
First Published: 1958
Genre: easy reader
Rating: 4/5

First sentence:

One day Danny went to the museum.

Reason for Reading: my son read aloud to me.

Acquired: We own this copy.

Comments: Danny visits the museum and when he gets to the dinosaur display a real dinosaur pops out and asks Danny to play with him. So off they go through the town having lots of fun ending up playing hide 'n' seek with the neighbourhood children but as sunset comes along everyone must go home including the dinosaur who must get back to the museum. This is one of the original "I Can Read" books that has stood the test of time. What little boy doesn't go through the dinosaur stage? This silly story is a load of fun and can be enjoyed by any age. Syd Hoff was one of the great children's author/illustrators and his works will never go out of print. Some of the PC persuasion may find the display of the "Indian" and "Eskimo" offensive, but the rest of us will enjoy a good old-fashioned timeless classic. One word of note though, buy yourself an old secondhand copy if possible. The new reprints have been recolourized with dark full-colour illustrations rather than the light pencil crayon effect of the originals.