Alphabet of Dinosaurs
This article originally appeared in SLJ’s Extra Helping. Sign up now!
Stephanie Bange, Wilmington-Stroop Branch, Dayton Metro Library, OH -- School Library Journal, 6/6/2008
Alphabet of Dinosaurs. CD. approx. 27 min. with hardcover book, poster. Soundprints. 2007. ISBN 978-1-59249-724-9. $15.95.
PreS-Gr 2–This read-along CD of the book by Barbie Heit Schwaeber (Soundprints, 2007) opens with an original song about dinosaurs, setting the tone for what follows: 26 short poems about dinosaurs, from Ankylosaurus to Zigongosaurus. The song is largely a listing of the alphabet and words covered in the book. Each poem includes the letter, the name of a dinosaur or a dinosaur-related concept beginning with that letter, and a four-line stanza that offers information or sheds light on the topic at hand. Creative choices include “M” for museum (the Smithsonian owns Sue the T.Rex), “X” for x-ray, and “Q” for quadruped. With music vamping in the background, Marc Thompson clearly reads each rhyme and precisely pronounces the name of each dinosaur. Readers can follow along in the illustrated book. Track 3 is a rarity—the complete glossary of the book is read aloud. A repeat of the song closes the recording. The poster depicts the alphabet of dinosaurs on one side and the velociraptor (a small, meat-eating dinosaur) on the other. The book works as both an ABC primer and an informational title. Buy more than one of this read-along package because it’s sure to fly off the shelf.
