This book written and illustrated by John Steven Gurney is a favorite. I have to admit that when I ordered it I did so from our Scholastic Book order. I am always hesitant to order books from here because sometimes you don't know what you are going to get. But, my thought was "Dinosaurs...Trains...this may be the perfect boy book." (And yes, I do categorize children as boys and girls because no matter how hard you try not to, they generally fit the mold. I let them play however they like, but know the typical) So, I went ahead and ordered it.
I was very pleasantly surprised when I got this book. The pictures are beautiful and bright! The boys really seem to "jump into the book" when looking at the pictures. It's as if they actually imagine themselves in there as well. The story is fun too. It's an adventure story! Another plus for those boys. John Gurney definitely hit upon something wonderful. This book quickly (and by quickly I mean I think I read it 15 times in a row the first time out) became a classroom favorite.
My only complaint (can you guess by now) is that there is no picutre of the author:
2 comments:
As the author and illustrator I am delighted to hear your experience with Dinosaur Train, and I am flattered to hear that the absence of my photo was considered a shortcoming.
Happy reading!
John
It was truly the only short coming in the book. Don't worry though, you aren't alone. It is a rare children's book that includes the picture of the author and/or illustrator. I'm hoping that my mentioning it everytime will maybe make some sort of movement away from this. Children need to know that an author is a person, not just a word in a book.
Thanks for stopping by and checking me out.
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