10 Fun & Educational Dinosaur Books for 4-Year-Olds
As my boy pointed and asked more questions than I could reasonably answer, I started to miss those sweet 2-year-old days of sitting quietly and reading books. The days when he ate up every word and sound. These days, it’s all about questions and wondering, which is an amazing stage all on its own because it means he wants to learn.
But a new stage requires something different to continue learning and loving books.
These dinosaur books are specifically curated for your questioning and more independent 4-year-old. One who, of course, loves dinosaurs.
Dinosaur Books for 4-Year-Olds
Fun Books About Dinosaurs
These 5 books lean more on the fun side. Engaging dinosaur stories and guessing games are sure to make reading one of your 4-year-old’s favorite activities.
1. Whatever Happened to the Dinosaurs?*
Have you ever wondered what happened to the dinosaurs? Whatever Happened to the Dinosaurs? is a fun book to explore that very question. Get your child thinking and wondering. “Did a magician make all the dinosaurs disappear?” “Are they living underground?” Or “Maybe they’re wearing disguises and we just don’t recognize them?”
Take a break from learning and think of silly ways the dinosaurs may have gone extinct. Ask your child to think of a few of their own answers to this question. This is a great way to foster creativity and critical thinking.
2. How Do Dinosaurs Say I’m Mad?
I love these Jane Yolen books for the subtle lessons that they teach. How Do Dinosaurs Say I’m Mad? gives your 4-year-old an example of how silly they look when they throw big, angry tantrums. It’s a fun book, where kids can laugh at the destructive dinosaurs who get mad over seemingly small things. And maybe, they’ll consider learning from the dinosaurs and calming down a little when they’re mad too.
Great for kids who love dinosaurs and are still struggling with controlling their emotions (probably every 4-year-old).
3. The PREXTEX Book of Dinosaurs and Their Habits
This is the perfect gift for your dinosaur lover. What I love about this sound book over others, is that it says the dinosaur’s name alongside its roar. My kids love pushing these sound buttons and trying to duplicate the roar. As children who are still developing language skills, there’s something powerful about listening to the correct pronunciation of the dinosaur names as many times as they like.
The text in The PREXTEX Book of Dinosaurs and Their Habits is informative and provides some extra fun facts. Perfect for a 4-year-old to explore.
4. Who’s That Dinosaur? An Animal Guessing Game
Now that your child knows so much about dinosaurs, they can have some fun playing a guessing game. Who’s That Dinosaur? An Animal Guessing Game shows an image of a dinosaur skeleton and gives you a few facts to guess from. Your child can guess the dinosaur and lift the flap to see if they got it right. Under the flap, they’ll find a colorful image of the correct dinosaur, along with a description.
Add this fun quiz element to your dinosaur reading to keep your 4-year-old engaged and learning more about each dinosaur.
5. Stop That Dinosaur!
Sometimes we just need to stop and read a fun book. I have to admit, my favorite books to read aren’t the ones that teach me, but the ones that draw me into a great or fun story. Stop That Dinosaur! is that book. When you need a break from all of the learning and just want a fun story about a dinosaur. Choose this book.
When a dinosaur stomps through and kidnaps Grandma, what can you do? Chase after it and yell, “Stop that Dinosaur!” of course.
Related: The Best Dinosaur Books for Toddlers
More to Learn About Dinosaurs
At 4 years old, children love to soak in every bit of information they can. And they want to know everything about what interests them. These books are great for answering questions and filling their tank with dinosaur knowledge.
6. The I Spy and Learn Dinosaurs Alphabet Book
Learning the alphabet isn’t always fun. But this book makes it fun for dinosaur lovers. With each letter the child is left with a group of dinosaurs to choose from. Which one starts with the letter? They choose. Then get rewarded with some information about that dinosaur.
The I Spy and Learn Dinosaurs Alphabet Book is the perfect book to help with letter recognition, ABCs, and learning more about dinosaurs, of course.
7. Usborne Lift-the-Flap Dinosaurs
This book discusses different types of dinosaurs and gives various information about them. Usborne Lift-the-Flap Dinosaurs includes many flaps and reads less like a story and more like bits of interesting information that you can explore through the pages. It’s great for your 4-year-old to sit and look through on his (or her) own.
Note: I bought the hardcover from Thriftbooks.com for a lot less than Amazon has it listed for. I think the mixed reviews on Amazon are for the paper and board book versions, which don’t include all the information.
8. Dinosaur A-Z
The tagline on this book says, “For kids who really love dinosaurs!” and I would 100% agree with that statement. Dinosaur A-Z is a comprehensive ABC book about dinosaurs. It includes lots of facts about each dinosaur, along with its size, and the pronunciation of its name. There are a lot of uncommon dinosaurs in here that your child probably doesn’t know about.
If your child loves dinosaurs and wants to learn everything about them, this is the book for them. As a bonus, they’ll gain some extra familiarity with the ABCs.
9. Dino Dana: Dino Field Guide
If your child loves Dino Dana, this is a great age to introduce the Dino Dana: Dino Field Guide. This book is meant to be the field guide that Dana uses in the TV series. It includes each dinosaur, along with facts about it, and the experiments that she does in the episodes.
This is a great way to introduce your child to the scientific method. The book encourages kids to ask their own questions and create a theory. It discusses a hypothesis and how an experiment is used to test one. Even if this is beyond your child’s interest, it’s an informative book about dinosaurs.
10. My First Book of Dinosaurs: All About Prehistoric Creatures for Kids
This book is a great introduction to all dinosaur information. Is your child starting to crave some real information about dinosaurs? Rather than just cute stories? This book is the answer. Get answers about where each dinosaur lived, the period they’re from, and (my son’s favorite lately) how big they were.
My First Book of Dinosaurs: All About Prehistoric Creatures for Kids is a new book that fits perfectly for this information-craving age group. Without providing dense text you’ll never want to read to them.
Dinosaur Books for 4-Year-Olds – Quick List
These dinosaur books will keep your 4-year-old engaged and learning.
- Whatever Happened to the Dinosaurs?
- How Do Dinosaurs Say I’m Mad?
- The PREXTEX Book of Dinosaurs and Their Habits
- Who’s That Dinosaur? An Animal Guessing Game
- Stop That Dinosaur!
- The I Spy and Learn Dinosaurs Alphabet Book
- Usborne Lift-the-Flap Dinosaurs
- Dinosaur A-Z
- Dino Dana: Dino Field Guide
- My First Book of Dinosaurs: All About Prehistoric Creatures for Kids
Related: Dinosaur Books for Preschoolers
Use these books to grow your child’s love for dinosaurs and reading at the same time.
Does this list seem a little above or below your child’s reading level? No worries. All kids are different. Check out my list of Dinosaur Books for 3-Year-Olds or Dinosaur Books for 5-Year-Olds to see if there might be a better fit.
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