A poetry-minded dinosaur sets off with his froggy pal to see the big wide world. And then they write poems about it. Of course, first they must avoid becoming some other less-literary-minded dinosaur’s snack. Seems it’s always snack time around dino-land.
Dino and Frog are unlikely friends. And even though the green and warty Frog is still a little leery of anything big and ferocious-looking—which Dino certainly qualifies as—Dino assures his friend that they are “poetry pals.” And that means that Frog is no longer even considered for the dinosaur’s lunch menu.
Phew!
Instead, these poem-loving buds set off together to see the wide, wild world! And then they write poems about it.
In fact, when Dino spots something strange-looking, he quickly encourages Frog to tag-team their way through a new set of verses.
“O, look at yonder mountain,” Dino begins.
“Tis weirdly like a fountain!” Frog adds.
“Lo! Here comes a big flood.”
“Like a river of red mud,” the pals continue.
“Is it supposed to be this hot?”
“No!!! It is not!”
Maybe you can guess what they were looking at. And then running from.
Of course, running from things is common in a world full of big, hungry dinosaurs. What isn’t so common is a general love of poetry. However, Dino and Frog are determined to spread that love, below and above.
Before you know it, they may have a whole bunch of new sharp-toothed, massively mawed poetry pals. And many of those pals might just value a bunch of poetry over a munch-filled lunch.
It could happen!
None.
The two central characters share a common belief in the importance of poetry: Not only can poetry give voice to thoughts and feelings that aren’t always easy to express, but it expresses them in creative, enjoyable ways. And this book teaches kid readers about that simple joy.
The two protagonists create and write new poems. They also meet a “pretty” Archaeopteryx (Say: “Ark-e-op-ter-icks”) named Hope. A Tyrannosaurus Rex and other dinosaurs show up, too.
Those newbies all tend to be food-focused predators at first. But they come around to appreciate Dino and Frog’s skill with words. And they soon think of themselves as poetry pals, too.
If you look at all these dinosaurs through an analogous lens, you could see them as very different people who become unlikely friends because of their mutual love of rhyming words.
There is a bit of peril in the story, thanks to all of its hungry and battling dinosaurs. But that’s all lessened by the book’s pleasant graphic styling and generally playful approach to its topic. And on top of that, Dino and Frog end up gaining a bunch of new friends.
There’s some dinosaur potty humor in the mix.
Dino meets a female dinosaur named Hope. He thinks she’s attractive but the two initially clash. Dino writes about hoping “for a kiss” but “just getting a hiss.” Later, Hope returns with a poem about them sharing a date.
Have you ever tried writing poetry? What makes it seem so hard? Did this graphic novel spark any new ideas for you? Did it help you think about poetry in a new creative way?
Why do you think mankind created poetry in the first place? Can words mean different things depending on how you use them? Can you think of a two-word poem right now? Is there an advantage to writing out your feelings and thoughts poetically?
Tom Angleberger’s colorful graphic novel sequel continues to teach kids about the joys of creating poetry. And it suggests that there may be more poetry lovers in the world than one might think.
Dino Poet: Pen Pals also tells kids a little about the dinosaurs they’re interested in and points them to resources they can look into with Mom and Dad.
The only potential drawbacks in this book are its inclusion of a little dinosaur-poo poetry and some lightly addressed dinosaur peril (both of which are part and parcel of a prehistoric world).
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Book reviews cover the content, themes and worldviews of fiction books, not necessarily their literary merit, and equip parents to decide whether a book is appropriate for their children. The inclusion of a book’s review does not constitute an endorsement by Focus on the Family.
Kennedy Unthank studied journalism at the University of Missouri. He knew he wanted to write for a living when he won a contest for “best fantasy story” while in the 4th grade. What he didn’t know at the time, however, was that he was the only person to submit a story. Regardless, the seed was planted. Kennedy collects and plays board games in his free time, and he loves to talk about biblical apologetics. He’s also an avid cook. He thinks the ending of Lost “wasn’t that bad.”
