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A review by bbckprpl
Dad and the Dinosaur by Gennifer Choldenko
5.0
Reviewed Here for
CBR 13 .
In short, It's amazing.
In longer:
"Dad & The Dinosaur by Gennifer Choldenko –Nicholas isn’t brave like his dad: He’s afraid of all sorts of things, like bugs, & darkness, & manhole covers. But he has a secret weapon: A dinosaur that “likes the dark, bugs are nothing to them, and they eat manhole covers for lunch, and everything under them for dinner.” As long as his big, brave dinosaur is with him, Nick can do anything. So of course, Nick loses his dinosaur. And the night is at its darkest, and bugs are at their biggest, and manhole covers almost swallow Nick & his parents whole. He can’t even go to sleep, without his brave dinosaur friend under his pillow. Then Nick’s dad notices something is wrong, asks him what’s up, and waits patiently for his son to answer. Nick tells him all about his secret dinosaur & it’s power to confront evil on Nick’s behalf, & his dad understands. Even though it is bedtime, they go looking for the dang thing, in the middle of the night, at the soccer field Nick thinks he dropped him on.
Nick’s dad doesn’t downplay either his worries, or the curative powers of a four inch plastic dinosaur. Instead, he basically says “Ok kid: let’s go find your magic dinosaur.” And when his wife gives him the “What the heck is happening” face as he takes his pajama-d kid out of bed and out into the car, he simply tells her that they’re doing “guy things.” It’s GUY THINGS TO EMOTIONALLY VALIDATE YOUR YOUNG CHILD’S FEELINGS & EXPERIENCES. Hell yeah it is! Anyways, they obviously find the dinosaur and there’s a happily ever after and all, but it’s the simple, likely-overlooked-by-most addition of “guy things” that got me. Children’s books these days are out there DOING THE GODDAMN WORK."
...
"The completely validating emotional aspects of all of these stories (in so many different ways), are one of the reasons I love them so much. Pig is buoyed and appreciated by his friends, regardless of his anxiety. Alfie misses something that seems “important”, but the world doesn’t end when he misses it. His parents LISTEN to him, and BELIEVE him, and let him choose, and deal with the consequences of his choices. Dragons exist, and can be conquered. Sometimes they just happen, on any ordinary day, and there are ways to deal with them, no matter how overwhelming they feel.
Pig’s illustrated ‘what if’ spiral; Alfie checking in with his dad after the day goes crooked; Nick’s Dad taking him to the soccer field in the middle of thing night to find a magical dinosaur – all of these books are VALIDATING the emotions of young children in hugely positive, forward thinking ways. Pig’s descent into panic is believable, and relatable, and just this side of overwhelming. Nick’s Dad understands the need for a comfort item without question. Alfie’s parents figure out an alternative to the thing that was giving their kid sleepless nights.
Learning that Dragons aren’t a punishment, or a thing you have to pretend away, and that being brave takes practice, but gets easier the more you do it. It’s the way Alfie is able to express “All around him, the ocean felt as heavy as the world,” and we know what he means. And – more importantly – KIDS will know what he means. Without ever mentioning (ever!) the words anxiety or panic, all of these books convey those FEELINGS in a way kids can understand and connect to.
And having it broken down like that? Is such a valuable tool for teachers, and parents, and kids. Because that tornado of ‘worst possible things that could happen’ is NOT rare, and anxiety – in these pandemic times, especially – is so common, that it’s its own mental health crisis. We should be addressing it now, as it’s happening. Kids deserve to have books that treat mental health like just another part of their life, body, & experiences. They need these kind of books to help them build the social-emotional vocabulary, and essential skills that understanding how our brains work, & how to adapt to our brains, requires from us. It’s not even that difficult to incorporate coping skills and understanding into everyday stories, honestly? As illustrated beautifully in each of these books.
I don’t know about you, but my goal for the kids in my life – big & little – is to help them build their emotional intelligence up to the point that they’re eventually able to recognize, express, and feel all their feelings – even the really hard ones – in as healthy a way as possible. Having books like these around, as part of our emotionally literate library, is one of the tools I consider essential for that.
Hence, my gift giving book budget continues to grow & grow, and I have yet to feel even the tiniest bit sorry about it.
CBR 13 .
In short, It's amazing.
In longer:
"Dad & The Dinosaur by Gennifer Choldenko –Nicholas isn’t brave like his dad: He’s afraid of all sorts of things, like bugs, & darkness, & manhole covers. But he has a secret weapon: A dinosaur that “likes the dark, bugs are nothing to them, and they eat manhole covers for lunch, and everything under them for dinner.” As long as his big, brave dinosaur is with him, Nick can do anything. So of course, Nick loses his dinosaur. And the night is at its darkest, and bugs are at their biggest, and manhole covers almost swallow Nick & his parents whole. He can’t even go to sleep, without his brave dinosaur friend under his pillow. Then Nick’s dad notices something is wrong, asks him what’s up, and waits patiently for his son to answer. Nick tells him all about his secret dinosaur & it’s power to confront evil on Nick’s behalf, & his dad understands. Even though it is bedtime, they go looking for the dang thing, in the middle of the night, at the soccer field Nick thinks he dropped him on.
Nick’s dad doesn’t downplay either his worries, or the curative powers of a four inch plastic dinosaur. Instead, he basically says “Ok kid: let’s go find your magic dinosaur.” And when his wife gives him the “What the heck is happening” face as he takes his pajama-d kid out of bed and out into the car, he simply tells her that they’re doing “guy things.” It’s GUY THINGS TO EMOTIONALLY VALIDATE YOUR YOUNG CHILD’S FEELINGS & EXPERIENCES. Hell yeah it is! Anyways, they obviously find the dinosaur and there’s a happily ever after and all, but it’s the simple, likely-overlooked-by-most addition of “guy things” that got me. Children’s books these days are out there DOING THE GODDAMN WORK."
...
"The completely validating emotional aspects of all of these stories (in so many different ways), are one of the reasons I love them so much. Pig is buoyed and appreciated by his friends, regardless of his anxiety. Alfie misses something that seems “important”, but the world doesn’t end when he misses it. His parents LISTEN to him, and BELIEVE him, and let him choose, and deal with the consequences of his choices. Dragons exist, and can be conquered. Sometimes they just happen, on any ordinary day, and there are ways to deal with them, no matter how overwhelming they feel.
Pig’s illustrated ‘what if’ spiral; Alfie checking in with his dad after the day goes crooked; Nick’s Dad taking him to the soccer field in the middle of thing night to find a magical dinosaur – all of these books are VALIDATING the emotions of young children in hugely positive, forward thinking ways. Pig’s descent into panic is believable, and relatable, and just this side of overwhelming. Nick’s Dad understands the need for a comfort item without question. Alfie’s parents figure out an alternative to the thing that was giving their kid sleepless nights.
Learning that Dragons aren’t a punishment, or a thing you have to pretend away, and that being brave takes practice, but gets easier the more you do it. It’s the way Alfie is able to express “All around him, the ocean felt as heavy as the world,” and we know what he means. And – more importantly – KIDS will know what he means. Without ever mentioning (ever!) the words anxiety or panic, all of these books convey those FEELINGS in a way kids can understand and connect to.
And having it broken down like that? Is such a valuable tool for teachers, and parents, and kids. Because that tornado of ‘worst possible things that could happen’ is NOT rare, and anxiety – in these pandemic times, especially – is so common, that it’s its own mental health crisis. We should be addressing it now, as it’s happening. Kids deserve to have books that treat mental health like just another part of their life, body, & experiences. They need these kind of books to help them build the social-emotional vocabulary, and essential skills that understanding how our brains work, & how to adapt to our brains, requires from us. It’s not even that difficult to incorporate coping skills and understanding into everyday stories, honestly? As illustrated beautifully in each of these books.
I don’t know about you, but my goal for the kids in my life – big & little – is to help them build their emotional intelligence up to the point that they’re eventually able to recognize, express, and feel all their feelings – even the really hard ones – in as healthy a way as possible. Having books like these around, as part of our emotionally literate library, is one of the tools I consider essential for that.
Hence, my gift giving book budget continues to grow & grow, and I have yet to feel even the tiniest bit sorry about it.