The 34 Best Dinosaur Books for Preschoolers (3-5 Year Olds)
“Stop hitting your brother!” “No, he was playing with that. Let go!” “You can’t have a snack, you haven’t even eaten your dinner.”
These are just a few of the phrases that I seem to constantly be saying to my preschooler these days.
With all of this redirection and negativity, we need something that brings us in and builds a positive relationship between the two of us. Cue reading.
Reading with your preschooler is great for so many reasons educationally, but it’s also the perfect point of connection for those crazy days when nothing seems to be positive.
If your preschooler loves dinosaur books, I specifically curated this list of the best dinosaur books for preschoolers. So you can have those positive moments of connection with your preschooler around some great books that he’ll love.
The 34 Best Dinosaur Books for Preschoolers
Dinosaur Books for 3-Year-Olds
Stomp, Dinosaur, Stomp!*
This book has more of a storybook feel than many of the others on this list. Making it fun for both kids and adults to read. Stomp, Dinosaur, Stomp! brings many of the dinosaurs together in a rhyme that’s easy to fall in love with.
It’s catchy and engaging, with vibrant colors, and includes a list of pronunciations in case you’re unfamiliar with some of the dinosaurs and how to say their names.
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?
Does your child thrash and whine when you try to put them to bed? This book has a clever way of teaching preschoolers to calmly say good night, just like a dinosaur. How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? includes different dinosaurs, names included. So when your child asks, “What kind of dinosaur is that?” The answer is on the page.
It’s a great way to teach a subtle lesson and grow their love and knowledge of dinosaurs.
Usborne Lift-the-Flap Dinosaurs
This book discusses different types of dinosaurs and gives various information about them. Even after reading many dinosaur books and watching Dino Dan and Dino Dana, this book taught us a few things we didn’t know.
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 3-year-olds that have trouble focusing on a story but can explore bits and pieces as they go.
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 of the information.
Jurassic World – Look, Listen, Roar!
My son continues to love these sound books. His new favorite is this Look, Listen, Roar! book from the Jurassic World collection.
He doesn’t know what Jurassic World is, but that doesn’t hinder his understanding of the book. It includes the roar button for 6 different dinosaurs and a textured pad that is supposed to feel like the Triceratops’ skin. It’s pretty simple, but I like that it includes a few dinosaurs that we don’t often encounter – stygimoloch and apatosaurus.
Oh Say Can You Say Di-no-saur?
This remains a favorite of mine and is perfect for a 3-year-old 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 3-year-old.
View the Full List of Dinosaur Books for 3-Year-Olds
Dinosaur Books for 4-Year-Olds
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
View the Full List of Dinosaur Books for 4-Year-Olds
Dinosaur Books for 5-Year-Olds
National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs
If your child has loved dinosaurs for a while, he (or she) might start asking a lot of questions around this age. A brain that is hungry for knowledge, paired with a love for dinosaurs, can create A LOT of questions. Chances are you don’t have all the answers (unless you’re a paleontologist). That’s where this book comes in.
National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs is an encyclopedia of dinosaurs for little kids. It has the answers to all the questions. Including: “How big is that dinosaur?” “What did they eat?” or the simple one my son always loves to stump me with “What’s that one called?”.
Note: This is a BIG book. Use it as a reference. It’s not one to sit and read cover-to-cover.
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, which you can find on my list of dinosaur books for 3-year-olds, 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.
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 all the dinosaur books that I have.
This is a fun fiction book for dinosaur lovers and Millennial parents who grew up reading and watching The Magic School Bus.
How Do Dinosaurs Learn to Read?
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 fantastic 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.
The Very Real and True Story of What Definitely Happened to the Dinosaurs
This fun story gives a fictional account of what happened to the dinosaurs. When an asteroid threatened their existence, they set off in a rocket ship to find a new planet. So not only does this give your child something to think about when it comes to dinosaurs, but it also gives a great overview of our solar system. Check out the video read aloud on YouTube.
The Very Real and True Story of What Definitely Happened to the Dinosaurs is a fun addition if your child isn’t too serious about the topic of dinosaurs. And a great way to get your child thinking about storytelling and developing creativity.
View the Full List of Dinosaur Books for 5-Year-Olds
Related: Dinosaur Books for Toddlers & Dinosaur Books for Kids
So when the day feels full of negativity, grab one of these books and spend some quality time reading with your preschooler. It’ll build your connection and teach your preschooler a few new things about dinosaurs.
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