Grrr! Dinos, Dragons and Other Beastie Poems
by James Carter and Graham Denton (Macmillan)

I hadn’t actually heard of some of the dinosaurs featured in this two-hander from Carter and Denton. I guess the Ornithomimus, the Allosaurus, the Archaeopteryx  and the others really do (sorry, did) exist and aren’t just the inventions of these poets’ imaginations? Like the dragons? Now we know they are the stuff of fiction but they come to life quite terrifyingly here. Perhaps rather samey once you’re reaching the end of the book (there’s only so much you can say about scary beasties once you’ve established that they’re scary and they’ll eat you if you don’t look out), these poems are nonetheless fun and at times quite educational. Infants particularly do seem to adore dinos and dragons, so this should be a hit with younger readers.
TUC