Max Spaniel: Dinosaur Hunt written and illustrated by David Catrow (Rated: C)
Orchard Books (Imprint of Scholastic Inc)
ISBN: 978-0-545-05748-6
Published September 2009
Hardcover, 40 pages
Ages 4-8

Publisher Synopsis:
Max Spaniel is a daffy hound dog who one day decides to go on a dinosaur dig. But what Max thinks are dinosaur parts is just a lot of junk — or is it? As Max puts his fossils together, readers will see how the random objects Max finds — including a football, a hockey stick, and an old boot — transform into a living dino!

Our Thoughts:
Dinosaur Hunt is a cute story about a dog named Max (who doesn’t think he’s a dog!) searching for dinosaurs in his backyard. More importantly, it’s about the power of imagination, creativity, and ingenuity. My 6 year-old son who loves dinosaurs, liked seeing the dinosaur made of inanimate objects come to life. He asked me to read it to him twice.

The book is both written and illustrated by the author, whose illustrations are funny and vivid, capturing Max’s enthusiasm, determination and fun. In this day of TV and computer games, this simple story well depicts the enjoyment of imaginative play. The ending of the story is lacking, though. The last sentence doesn’t seem to fit, and I would have preferred it to end better.

This book will easily appeal to young children who are beginning to read and who love dogs, dinosaurs, and playing outdoors.

Disclosure: Thank you to Nikole from Scholastic Canada for sending us this book for review. I was not compensated in any other way, nor told how to rate or review this product.