My son went through a serious dinosaur phase that lasted almost a year when he was 4-years-old. Now he’s into Pokemon….sigh! I prefer reading about dinosaurs! But if you can’t beat them, join them.
If I am going to read nothing but dinosaur books, at least I want a range of dinosaur books from non-fiction to fiction to counting books and alphabet books. Here are 45 Great Dinosaur Books for Kids. What are yours? Thanks for sharing!
p.s. Related posts:
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Dinosaur! ebook app for ages 1-5
Great STEM Picture Books paired with Fun Activities
Shark Week Books and Videos for Kids
The Ancient Feast Middle School Project: Prehistoric Cave
52 Great Dinosaur Books for Kids
Interactive Dinosaur Books
My First Carry Book: Dinosaurs
I really like the textured cover and the ease of transport of this dinosaur book that covers a lot of territory in a small amount of space! Each page spread has a different color palette, showcasing dinosaurs by type. This is sure to be a favorite for any dino loving toddler! [board book, ages 2 and up]
How Many Dinosaurs is Too Many? by Lou Peacock, illustrated by Nicolar Slater
This is a rhyming counting book with themes of friendship featuring a boy and dinosaurs. Use this book for Social Emotional Learning and what it means to be a good friend. [picture book, ages 2 and up]
That’s Not My Dinosaur…its body is too squashy
Usborne touchy-feely books. A perfect quick bedtime book for preschoolers who want to “read” on their own. [board book, ages 2 and up]
My First Pop-Up Dinosaurs by Owen Davey
This is the perfect combination for preschoolers who are fascinated with dinosaurs like my son was at age 3. He would have loved the pop-ups portraying his favorite dinosaurs! I appreciate the pronunciation help on the dinosaur names. [pop-up board book, ages 3 and up]
Ten Little Dinosaurs (A Googly Eye Book) by Pattie Schnetzler
A great counting book to learn numbers AND wiggle the googly eyes. [board book, ages 2 and up]
Dinosaurs: A Pop-Up Book by Ingela P. Arrhenius
Young dinosaur fans will enjoy learning about dinosaurs through this interactive book with both flaps to life and a pop-up dinosaur on every page spread. The dinosaurs are grouped by features such as long necks, beaks, or wings making it easier to compare and contrast. [interactive pop-up board book, ages 3 and up]
The Great Dinosaur Search by Rosie Heyward
My son’s favorite book is a search-and-find dinosaur book with lots of factoids. Read this every night for months and it’s great for counting! [picture book, ages 3 and up]
The Ultimate Book of Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Creatures by Sandra Laboucarie, illustrated by Benjamin Bécue
This is a winner for dinosaur fans of any age. Each page spread is filled with interesting facts and the interactive nature of the book makes it fun for the younger crowd. My son is in college but I’m sure he will like this book! [nonfiction pop-up and pull-the-flap picture book, ages 3 and up]
Lift-the-Flap Questions and Answers about Dinosaurs by Katie Daynes, illustrated by Marie-Eve Tremblay
Everything you ever wanted to know about dinosaurs is tucked away in this interactive book with more than 60 flaps! The whimsical illustrations contribute to the playful nature of this book. Learning about dinosaurs has never been so fun! [nonfiction picture book, ages 2 and up]
Dinosaur Nonfiction
Everything You Know About Dinosaurs is Wrong! by Dr. Nick Crumpton, illustrated by Gavin Scott
Perhaps this is a good place to start. Dispelling misconceptions about dinosaurs. Dr. Nick Crumpton (not a paleontologist but a zoologist) explains in great detail why not all dinosaurs are extinct, how some dinosaurs had feathers, and the biggest misconception of all, T. Rex is not the biggest predator! This is a beautifully designed and information-packed book sure to enlighten dinosaur lovers of any age! [nonfiction picture book, ages 8 and up]
Dinosaurs by the Numbers by Steve Jenkins
Review from The Nonfiction Detectives:
“Dinosaurs books tend to fly off the shelves in elementary school and public libraries. Now there is a new nonfiction book that is sure to be a hit with dinosaur aficionados between the ages of 5-10. Dinosaurs by the Numbers contains interesting facts about prehistoric creatures, and the information is presented visually in the form of illustrations, timelines, graphs, charts, and maps. Readers will learn about the speed, size, and locations of dinosaurs as they pore over the infographics. Jenkins uses his signature cut and torn paper collage to create the illustrations. The infographics are cut-paper silhouettes and digital art. The book’s small trim is perfect for young children to hold and read on their own. It’s sure to be a book that readers return to again and again.” [nonfiction picture book, ages 6 and up]
The Dinosaur Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta, illustrated by Ralph Masiello
This is a great ABC book with interesting facts to keep the adult and child happy! [picture book, ages 2 and up]
Dinosaur Bones by Bob Barner
The little boys across the street from us love this book and wanted to recommend it. [narrative nonfiction picture books, ages 3 and up]
Insiders: Dinosaurs by John Long
A great reference book that is fun to read with really good and realistic illustrations. [picture book, ages 3 and up].
Ankylosaur Attack (Tales of Prehistoric Life) by Daniel Loxton
A new favorite that also teaches anti-bullying tactics with realistic illustrations that make prehistoric life exciting. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
The Iguanodon’s Horn: How Artists and Scientists Put a Dinosaur Back Together Again and Again and Again by Sean Rubin
Review from A Kid’s Book A Day:
“Dinosaur fanatics will love this book, both the fascinating story of how science works and the illustrations, which are at once informative and funny…” [nonfiction picture book, ages 4 and up]
Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaurs by Robert Sabuda
The most amazing pop-up informative dinosaur book EVER! And he’s my neighbor’s best friend. I hope to meet him someday! [pop-up nonfiction picture book, ages 3 and up]
Titanosaur: Discovering the World’s Largest Dinosaur by the paleontologists who led the dig, Dr. Jose Luis Carballido, and Dr. Diego Pol, illustrated by Florencia Gigena
An Argentinean cowboy in Patagonia discovered the first fossil of the Titanosaur that had been buried in the desert for over 100 million years. This is the story of how two paleontologists led the team to unearth over 180 bones, changing the way scientists think about dinosaurs. Budding scientists will enjoy how the bones reveal information about the size of the dinosaur and how it lived. Share the excitement of this discovery through the eyes of the scientists. [nonfiction picture book, ages 5 and up]
The Magic School Bus: In The Time of the Dinosaurs by Joanna Cole
A really excellent series to introduce non-fiction to children. [nonfiction picture book, ages 5 and up]
Creature Features: Dinosaurs by Natasha Durley
It’s fun to find similarities between the different dinosaur species. This book groups the dinosaurs by features such as humongous horns, wonderful wings, fantastic flippers, and more! The colorful illustrations and beautifully laid out book make this an appealing browse. [picture book, ages 3 and up]
Dinosaurs for Kids: An Introduction to Dinosaur Paleontology by James Kuether
This is a pocket-sized resource for children who can’t get enough scientific knowledge about dinosaurs. The first part of the book gives background information about paleontology. The back half of the book gives extensive details about dinosaur species. If your child wants dinosaurs presented in an exhaustive way, this is the book for you! [nonfiction encyclopedia, ages 7 and up]
Dinosaur Fiction Picture Books
Truckosaurus by Karen Shapiro, illustrated by Rachel Foo
A helpful Truckosaurus, part T-Rex/part truck, is a beloved helper in this sweet rhyming picture book. The illustrations have a classic, old-timey feel. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Dinky the Tinysaur by Maggie Edkins Willis
Twin girls adopt a baby dinosaur that they name Dinky. Things go swimmingly until Dinky is no longer tiny. But when Dinky leaves after some unkind words, the girls realize that life is no fun without their dinosaur. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Oh My Oh My Oh Dinosaurs!: A Book of Opposites by Sandra Boynton
Who doesn’t love Sandra Boynton’s books? We read this book so much it was one of the first books my son memorized and pretended to “read.” [board book, ages 2 and up]
I’m Bad by Kate and Jim McMullan
A cute storybook about a T-Rex who is hungry and BAAAD! [picture book, ages 3 and up]
Dino-Hanukkah by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Barry Gott
In this rhyming picture book, all types of dinosaurs get ready to celebrate Hanukkah. They clean the house, cook, and light the menorah. It’s eight nights of celebration! When it’s over, the dinosaurs are thinking of their next holiday … Dino-Earth Day! These are multicultural dinosaurs! [picture book, ages 5 and up]
Drawing Outdoors by Jairo Buitrago, illustrated by Rafael Yockteng, translated by 
Elisa Amado
A school located in the middle of nowhere seems to have nothing beyond a blackboard and a few chairs. But if you look more closely, there is a wonderful teacher who inspires the kids’ imagination as she takes them outdoors to draw and observe the local prehistoric wildlife. It’s a day to remember! [picture book, ages 5 and up]
How To Take Care of Your Dinosaur by Jason Cockcroft
Kids might recognize things that they do — slow to try new foods, high energy, learning to share — as they read about a newly hatched dinosaur and what it takes to take care of them! [picture book, ages 2 and up]
Mamasaurus by Stephan Lomp
Babysaurus flies off his mama’s tail and gets lost in the jungle. He searches for her, asking other prehistoric creatures if they’ve seen her. It turns out that she’s not the biggest, the fastest, or the best flyer like their mamas, but she’s the best mama in the world! [picture book, ages 2 and up]
Noah Noasaurus by Elaine Kiely Kearns, illustrated by Colin Jack
For kids whose favorite word is “no” and who love dinosaurs, this book is the perfect fit. Noah Noasaurus wakes up in a bad mood so everything is a no-go. But as he walks off in a huff to nowhere, his friends want to follow. It turns out that nowhere, as long as your friends are with you, is a very fun place to be! A sweet story about turning around a bad mood with a little help from your friends. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Dino by Diego Vaisberg
A giant egg appeared in the back and hatched. It was a dinosaur! But a dinosaur is not an easy pet to have! Still, when three more giant eggs appear, a dino is not a bad pet after all. Two-color red and blue illustrations give this book a simple but vibrant appeal. [picture book, ages 3 and up]
Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug by Jonathan Stutzman, illustrated by Jay Fleck
Tiny T. Rex with tiny arms wants to comfort his friend Pointy, but Pointy is much larger so the hug seems like an impossible challenge. After consulting everyone Tiny T. Rex knows, he finds a solution. It’s the best hug ever. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
How Do Dinosaurs … series by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mark Teague
My son loves them all, especially reading the dinosaur names on the front and back inside covers. [picture book, ages 3 and up]
DinoTrux series by Chris Gall
Dinosaurs + Trucks = Winning Combination
My son delighted in the concept of dinosaurs that were also trucks. He especially loved trying to guess the truck versus dinosaur for each combination. [picture book, ages 3 and up]
Dino Pets by Lynn Plourde, illustrated by Gideon Kendall
For kids who like the How Do Dinosaurs series, Dino Pets has that same rhyming appeal coupled with dino facts for biggest, fastest, looooongest, softest, smallest, and scariest dinosaur. T. Rex is included … guess which category?! [picture book, ages 4 and up]
T. Rex Machine series by Jared Chapman
For kids who like T. Rex and time travel, this is the perfect hilarious picture book! [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Dinosaur Farm! by Penny Dale
Dinosaurs are farmers in this gentle adventure featuring onomatopoeia. Kids will also like the farm equipment driven by the dinosaur farmers: carrot picker, all-terrain vehicle, tractor, plow, apple picker, combine harvester, and more! [picture book, ages 2 and up]
The Story of Gigantosaurus based on the book by Jonny Duddle
Picture books based on popular TV shows are popular with young viewers, but I always prefer the book that the show is based upon. Such is the case with this one too. Think Ice Age (the movie) but for dinosaurs. [picture book, ages 3 and up]
Arnold the Not Dinosaur by Jess Robus, illustrated by Holly Evers
Author Jess Robus is a 16-year-old published author, poet, and mental health advocate from South Africa who is on the Autism spectrum, and has written books, including this one, with strong messages about mental health. In this story, Arnold runs into human children who tell him that dinosaurs don’t exist, sending Arnold into an identity crisis. As he tries to figure out who is he, he has a panic attack. Luckily, his mother is there to help him realize who he truly is: he is Arnold the Dinosaur! This book is created using a dyslexic-friendly font. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Dinosaurs Picture Books Set in Museums
Night at the Museum series by Milan Trenc
A fun storybook to inspire the family to visit a museum of science! And the book is very different from the movie! [picture book, ages 3 and up]
Sleepover at the Museum by Karen LeFrak, illustrated by David Bucs
A sleepover birthday party at the Museum of Natural History includes a scavenger hunt solving clues to find the best place to sleep. This is a fun way to explore the museum either through the book or in real life at a museum of natural history! There is a list of museums at the back including ones that host sleepovers. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
A Funny Thing Happened at the Museum by Davide Cali, illustrated by Benjamin Chaud
A trip to the museum becomes an adventure that combines the natural history section with the art exhibits. Henry’s teacher didn’t expect him to be quite so talented in maneuvering around the museum and reimagining the exhibits. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
The Dinosaur Expert by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
Fossils are Kimmy’s favorite thing to collect but when she goes to the Natural History Museum with her class, Jake tells her that girls can’t be scientists. Dr. Brandoni de Gasparini discovered the dinosaur Gasparinisaura. Dr. Brandoni de Gasparini is a girl! Kimmy wants to grow up to be just like her! Role models matter! In the back matter by Kimmy, she lists other female paleontologists. [picture book, ages 4 and up]
Dinosaur Chapter Books
Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff
A charming classic that continues to appeal to kids today! [early reader, ages 4 and up]
Dinosaurs in Action! (Geronimo Stilton #7) by Geronimo Stilton
Geronimo Stilton is now in a graphic novel format and a time-traveling one at that. In this adventure against the Pirate Cats, Geronimo, and friends visit the Cretaceous Period to rescue their friend Professor Von Volt. By traveling back in time, readers learn about lesser-known dinosaurs like the Plotosaurus, a 42 feet-floating lizard; the Quetzalcoatlus, the largest flying reptile ever; and the Titanosaur, a plant-eating dinosaur. Plants and flora from the period are also introduced. Factoids in sidebars teach us how fossils are formed and how dinosaurs were named. Kids will absorb all the non-fiction facts but will only notice how fun this graphic novel adventure is! [graphic novel, ages 6 and up]
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Nice list of dino books. We only have 3 of the above and I thought we had them all!
Best,
Rajka
To ExPatDoctorMom,
We have a few others that didn’t make the list only because I can’t find them anywhere including Amazon. I bought them at a garage sale.
If anyone is interested in Amazon Kindle books on dinosaurs, I found a great new book called “Dinosaur Books For Kids: The Menacing Meat-Eaters”. What makes this book rather special is that it an interactive quiz book all about some of the major meat-eating dinosaurs set in a “game play” format. Using the popular “Who Am I” quiz format, readers get clues to help figure out the dinosaur being discussed and when they guess correctly they see a picture along with some interesting facts. Probably best for kids aged 8-12 years old. If you are at all interested, I have included the Amazon Kindle book link: http://www.amazon.com/Dinosaur-Books-For-Kids-ebook/dp/B00A6JI4MG/
Hi Barisa,
Thank you so much for sharing that great book! My son will love it! Does it come on ColorNook? I don’t have a Kindle. He will love the interactivity.
We love Danny and the Dinosaur and Night at the Museum in this house:)! Thanks for linking up at The Owl’s Skull today:)!! Jess (aka Alice;))
Thanks so much Alice! We love dinosaur books still even though we are 5 years past the dinosaur-every-day-book phase.
Just popping by to let you know I’m featuring your post at The Owl’s Skull today. Stop by to grab a featured at button and link up something new:). Have a great week!! J
Thank you so much Alice! Jumping over there right now!
Just ordered a bunch of these from our library. Thank you!
Hi Leanna,
I’m so glad you are in a dinosaur phase too! I have to say that I miss that phase though at the time I got a little tired of reading about dinosaurs practically exclusively. Please let me know any favorites and I’ll add to the list.
I love the look of Dinosaur Bones and The Magic School Bus books are always great for learning.
One of our favourite dinosaur books is Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs by Ian Whybrow. Dinosaur Dig is also a fun book, it combines dinosaurs, diggers and counting – a great combination 🙂
Thanks so much for your great dinosaur book recommendations Catherine! I love your book recs! I will add them to the list!!!
Wow, what a list! There are a few I’ve not come across, so I’ll need to seek them out.
“Dino Tracks” is a picture book that follows dinosaurs’ footprints to learn about the animals that made them. “Dino Treasures” examines scientific methods of learning about dinosaurs, including medical scans, chemistry, and computer modeling. Both by Rhonda Lucas Donald and illustrated by Cathy Morrison. Published by Arbordale Publishing. https://www.arbordalepublishing.com/bookpage.php?id=DinoTracks
https://www.arbordalepublishing.com/bookpage.php?id=DinoTreasures
I would also recommend My Dearest Dinosaur by Margaret Wild and Bumposaurus by Penny Mc Kinlay. They both have a strong moral message without preaching. Warning: My Dearest Dinosaur will bring tears to your eyes.