The 55 Best Dinosaur Books for Kids of All Ages
A low growl started in my son’s chest as he approached his little brother. He immediately started to cry, knowing what was coming next.
“Liam, don’t growl in your brother’s face. You know he doesn’t like that,” I scolded.
“But, Mom, I’m a scary T. rex!” He appealed.
What is it that fascinates kids so much about these scary, extinct creatures?
My son has wanted to read everything he can about dinosaurs since he was 2. And dinosaur books are all fast favorites.
If you also have kids stomping around like T. rexes, I’ve got a list of dinosaur books for you. No matter what age your child is, you’ll find the perfect dinosaur book on this list.
Dinosaur Books for Kids
Dinosaur Books for Toddlers (ages 1-3)
Dinosaur Dance!* by Sandra Boynton
This is such a fun book for toddlers. Dinosaur Dance! includes a few different types of dinosaurs adding their part to the dance. 1-year-olds love these simple books because of the sounds that are included in the reading – like “flap, flap, flap” and “cha, cha, cha.” It makes for a quick, song-like read that’s perfect for any 1 year old.
And one of the bonuses is that this book includes the names of quite a few dinosaurs, along with some colors that your toddler can start to identify.
Night Night Dinosaur
This simple book is the perfect bedtime story for your toddler. We have a lot of bedtime books and these are my favorite for this age. There’s something about a small amount of text and saying “night night” to each of the animals as they go to bed, that’s just perfect for bedtime.
Use Night Night Dinosaur as a quick read right before bed to get everyone sleepy and calm. The last page is full of glow-in-the-dark stars to light up when you turn off the light.
Roar: A Dinosaur Tour by Michael Paul
This book includes quite a few dinosaurs, which I was slightly overwhelmed by at first. But not my son! He very quickly started to pick up on the dinosaurs that he wasn’t familiar with, asking me what each new one was as we read, and adding each one to his arsenal of dinosaur knowledge.
The story in Roar: A Dinosaur Tour is short and simple, but it goes through each of the included dinosaurs with colorful images. Quickly a favorite.
Little Dinosaur (10 Minutes to Bed) by Rhiannon Fielding
This is the most story-centered book on the list for toddlers, which is a nice change of pace from educational and short board books. Ten Minutes to Bed Little Dinosaur follows Rubble, a young Triceratops as he avoids bedtime by having adventures. It’s a great, fast-paced story that will hold your young child’s attention even at a young age.
This book doesn’t identify the types of dinosaurs and my son likes to ask me what each one is. If you pick up others on this list that do identify the dinosaurs, it’s fun to speculate together what they may be.
View the Full List of Dinosaur Books for 2-Year-Olds
Hello, World! Dinosaurs by Jill McDonald
If you’re looking to build dinosaur knowledge, this is a great book for older toddlers. Hello, World! Dinosaurs lists a number of dinosaurs, giving little bits of information about each. It’s beautifully illustrated and provides more information than some of the others. Bringing out relevant and little-known facts about certain dinosaurs.
It also references the fact that dinosaurs aren’t around anymore, pointing kids toward museums to see them. It’s perfect for toddlers who are starting to explore the pages and ask questions.
Oh Say Can You Say Di-no-saur?
This remains a favorite of mine and is perfect for an older toddler who loves dinosaurs. Oh Say Can You Say Di-no-saur? is an encyclopedia for young kids. What I love about this one is that the name of the dinosaur and its pronunciation are in the book in a way that causes your child to repeat the name. This is fantastic for helping your child learn the names of dinosaurs with the correct pronunciation.
The book also uses the easy rhyming of Dr. Suess, making it a fun and quick read. Though it is long, it’s easy to get through and you can explore every aspect with your engaged older toddler and continue into the preschool years.
View the Full List of Dinosaur Books for 3-Year-Olds
Dinosaur Books for Preschoolers (ages 3-5)
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 preschoolers.
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 at this age) how big they were.
My First Book of Dinosaurs: All About Prehistoric Creatures for Kids is a new book (February 2023) that fits perfectly for this information-craving age group. Without providing dense text you’ll never want to read to them.
View the Full List of Dinosaur Books for 4-Year-Olds
The Magic School Bus: In the Time of the Dinosaurs
If you’re feeling nostalgic and want to introduce your child to The Magic School Bus, this is a great dinosaur book. The kids in Ms. Frizzle’s class are surprised by a field trip to a dinosaur dig. But, of course, the trip doesn’t end there. They end up traveling through the time of the dinosaurs and learning about all kinds of dinosaurs up close.
The Magic School Bus: In the Time of the Dinosaurs is a surprisingly great book. I went in not expecting much, but it includes tons of valuable information (especially for a fictional book). I learned a few things that I didn’t know even after reading A LOT of dinosaur books for kids.
This is a fun fiction book for dinosaur lovers and Millennial parents who grew up reading and watching The Magic School Bus.
Hello, World! Kids’ Guides: Exploring Dinosaurs
This collection of books offers engaging graphics and information about dinosaurs directed at kids. If you’ve read the edition of this book for younger kids, this version is similar but provides more information for older kids.
Hello, World! Kids’ Guides: Exploring Dinosaurs includes information about the different periods of time that dinosaurs are believed to have existed. And helps kids learn to orient dinosaurs within their scientific and historical background.
How Do Dinosaurs Learn to Read? by Jane Yolen & Mark Teague
This is the perfect dinosaur book for 5-year-olds who are learning to read. I love this series because it takes common topics for toddlers and preschoolers and makes them into a fun, simple, and educational conversation with dinosaurs.
These are done in such a way that no detail is missed. Each dinosaur is labeled so you have the answer when your child asks “Which dinosaur is that?”. Plus, if your child has loved dinosaurs for a while, they know the most common dinosaurs. This book includes mostly little-known dinosaurs, so they can learn a few new ones.
How Do Dinosaurs Learn to Read? also discusses how to treat books and patiently approach reading. As a bonus, it even provides reading instruction.
View the Full List of Dinosaur Books for 5-Year-Olds
Dinosaur Books for Early Elementary Kids (ages 5-7)
Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Life (DK Children’s Anthologies)
This simple, beautiful book covers every dinosaur you can think of, with information on each, for children. If the vast amount of information in other books is overwhelming, this might be the perfect book for your child. It includes fossil images of each plant or animal and focuses more on these images than speculative ones.
Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Life (DK Children’s Anthologies) is presented as a special edition that covers mainly fossils that have been found in the prehistoric world and what scientists have gathered about them. It’s text-heavy but also organized in a simplistic way. It would be the perfect gift for an early elementary dinosaur lover.
Knowledge Encyclopedia Dinosaur!: Over 60 Prehistoric Creatures as You’ve Never Seen Them Before
This book includes information about dinosaurs and the prehistoric world. With timelines, and information about the land in each specific period. It can help fill in additional information about the world of dinosaurs.
With large images and vast amounts of information, this book is sure to bring dinosaurs to life for your child. Knowledge Encyclopedia Dinosaur!: Over 60 Prehistoric Creatures as You’ve Never Seen Them Before is a great book to simply look through and learn about each dinosaur.
The Ultimate Dinosaur Encyclopedia: Enhanced with Stunning Interactive 3D Models and Videos
This dinosaur encyclopedia includes everything you could ever need to know about dinosaurs. Along with videos and 3D models that you can access through an included app.
The Ultimate Dinosaur Encyclopedia itself includes a vast amount of facts. With the enhanced interactive 3D models and videos, kids can interact with the information. Adding an additional layer and level of engagement to this book.
Dinosaurs for Kids by Ken Ham
If you’re a Christian, you will find that some of the information in dinosaur books doesn’t support a creation worldview. Dinosaurs for Kids from Ken Ham explains what is scientific fact and what’s a scientific theory when it comes to dinosaurs. It walks kids through the beginning of time, explaining the creation of the earth by comparing evolution and creation. He walks readers through each age, explaining what happened to the dinosaurs from a Christian worldview.
It’s a great addition to all of the dinosaur information. And the perfect tool for parents who feel a little unsure about aspects of the topic.
Dinosaur Club by Rex Stone
Looking for a fiction book for your 5-7-year old? This book is sure to bring their love of dinosaurs into a creative and fun, fictional adventure. Join Jamie and Tess as they travel back in time to the prehistoric world.
Dinosaur Club is a 7 book series about a group of children around the world that belong to a dinosaur club where they share knowledge about dinosaurs. Each book takes a different group of students on an adventure where they encounter real dinosaurs.
Perfect for kids with a big imagination and a love for dinosaurs.
Dinosaur Books for Upper Elementary & Middle School Kids (ages 8-12)
Dinosaur World: Over 1,200 Amazing Dinosaurs, Famous Fossils, and the Latest Discoveries from the Prehistoric Era
This book claims to be the greatest dinosaur book ever. If your child has been reading about dinosaurs for a while, they might be able to tell you whether or not that’s true.
Dinosaur World: Over 1,200 Amazing Dinosaurs, Famous Fossils, and the Latest Discoveries from the Prehistoric Era includes information about each dinosaur, along with the different types of dinosaur species and findings.
One unique aspect of this book, which was published in February 2023, is its inclusion of the latest discoveries from the Prehistoric Era. Dinosaur knowledge is always changing based on new findings and theories. It’s helpful to have a book that includes the latest information and is a recent publication.
The Secrets of Dinosaurs by Yang Yang
This book has beautiful illustrations, little-known facts, and vast amounts of information about everything dinosaurs. It’s the perfect addition to the collection of every serious dinosaur enthusiast.
The Secrets of Dinosaurs is more information-heavy than some of the other dinosaur books for kids 8-12. It includes the location of fossil findings and many details about specific dinosaurs that are not included elsewhere. This book leans more on the scientific side of dinosaurs and would be perfect for kids who have a strong interest in scientific study.
Extraordinary Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Life Visual Encyclopedia
This visual encyclopedia is sure to satisfy the curiosity of dinosaur lovers everywhere. Large and abundant images illustrate each and every dinosaur. Part of the fun of learning about dinosaurs is seeing what they looked like. Extraordinary Dinosaurs and Other Prehistoric Life Visual Encyclopedia gives kids a glimpse into the prehistoric world, with all it’s prehistoric creatures.
Perfect for kids who love dinosaurs and even for reluctant readers.
Dinosaur and Other Prehistoric Creatures Atlas: The Prehistoric World as You’ve Never Seen It Before (Where on Earth?)
Ever wonder where on Earth a specific dinosaur roamed? Did a Tyrannosaurus once walk where you walk? Find out with this dinosaur atlas. The Dinosaur and Other Prehistoric Creatures Atlas identifies on a map where fossils have been found and scientists have determined to be each dinosaur’s home territory.
This is a great addition to a large collection of dinosaur books.
Camp Cretaceous: The Deluxe Junior Novelization
Whether your child has seen the Netflix Camp Cretaceous series or not, they’ll love the novel series. It’s well-written and a great way to get your dinosaur-loving older child into reading fiction, which helps builds skills in imagination, creativity, and empathy.
This 4 book series follows a group of kids who are left at Jurassic World when dinosaurs escape. As time goes on, they discover more and more sinister figures who want to use dinosaurs for their own gain.
If your child has seen the series, this is a novelization of the TV series, so it’s the exact story in the series. But kids seem to love reading it even if they’ve already seen it. And if they haven’t seen it, they’ll quickly become engrossed in the storyline.
I hope you’re able to find the perfect dinosaur book for your child on this list of dinosaur books for kids. I will warn you that your household may soon be plagued by scary T. rex roars in the near future.
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