Dinosaur Dream [Hardcover]

Dennis Nolan (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 31, 1990 | Age Level: 4 and up

It's not every little boy who gets to meet a baby dinosaur, much less to travel back in time with him to the Age of the Dinosaurs. but that's exactly what happens to young Wilbur in this engaging fantasy about a trip back to a time some 140 million years ago.

Wilbur is reading his favorite dinosaur book when he hears a tapping at the window. He looks out and sees a baby dinosaur, his eyes shining bright red in the darkness. Wilbur names the little fellow Gideon, after Gideon Mantell, who discovered the first dinosaur fossil. It's soon clear that he can't keep Gideon -- even a house in the country with a barn and a pasture is no place for a dinosaur -- so he reluctantly decides he must take Gideon home.

Wilbur and Gideon set out to make the long journey back to the Jurassic period, when dinosaurs like Gideon roamed the earth. The trip is a long and sometimes frightening one, past glaciers and volcanoes, and other dinosaurs much fiercer than the gentle Apatosaurus Gideon. It's an adventure that Wilbur will never forget, with a warm and satisfying conclusion. By means of a lively text enhanced by accurate and appealing pictures, Dennis Nolan brings the Age of the Dinosaurs vividly to life.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Talk about the odd couple: this sweetly written, captivating picture book limns the camaraderie between dinosaur enthusiast Wilbur (his red pj's sport a dinosaur silhouette) and Gideon, an escapee from the Jurassic period. When the baby dino comes calling after Wilbur falls asleep, the practical boy realizes the unsuitability of the situation and resolves to lead his visitor home--"Follow me, Gideon. . .we have one hundred forty million years to go through." In an appealing twist, the intrepid lad proves more courageous than the dinosaur: one of Nolan's ( Step into the Night ; Mockingbird Morning ) luminous watercolors depicts Wilbur trudging through a new snowfall, as a whining Gideon follows precisely in the cleared track. So deftly does the author build this relationship during their arduous journey that children--and adults as well--may blink back a tear when the two friends finally part. Wilbur is a model hero, without a hint of precocity in manner or appearance, and red-eyed Gideon ranks with the best of animal creations. No bones about it, this is a real charmer. Ages 4-7.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3-- There's too much highbrow hype and not enough good storytelling to make this book linger in readers' memories. Wilbur befriends Gideon, a baby dinosaur, in the middle of the night (or--is it only a dream? The trite plot gimmick doesn't help). The two of them travel back through time, exploring the Ice Age and the different eras of reptiles, until Gideon returns to the Jurassic period, where he belongs. Sure, this is a fantasy, so it's conceivable that Wilbur and Gideon could trek through the snows of the Ice Age, visiting woolly mammoths and saber-toothed tigers. But writing fiction doesn't excuse misinformation. Wilbur's statement, "Soon we'll be out of the Ice Age and into the Age of Mammals," seems to exclude tigers and mammoths from Mammalia altogether. The painted illustrations, which at first look very attractive, work best when they stick to realism, such as a bird's-eye view looking down over the head of a Triceratops. But a closeup of Wilbur hugging Gideon, with glowing clouds in the background, is as cloying as sofa-sized painted sunsets. Try Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo (Harper, 1988) by William Joyce for a better-realized story about a dinosaur compadre. --Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing; 5th Edition edition (October 31, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0027681459
• ISBN-13: 978-0027681451
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,168,704 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heart-filled, visually beautiful, and dinosaurs. Buy it!, November 18, 1995

By A Customer

This review is from: Dinosaur Dream (Hardcover)

My kids are in love with dinosaurs. But this book is much more than a dino book. Wilbur, about 7, awakes to hear a noise outside his window. It's a baby Apatosaurus. He names the baby Gideon, after Gideon Mantell, who discovered the first dinosaur fossil. Realizing that he cannot keep the baby dino, they take off together, back to the Jurrasic period; back to Gideon's home. This book is very beautifully illustrated. And the story is both educational and heart-touching. You won't finish with a dry eye. One of my kid's all time favorites. 28 or so pages.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Child's Dream Come True!,, February 22, 2005

By 

Michelle L. Montgomery "Shelz in New Hampshire" (Nashua, NH) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dinosaur Dream (Paperback)

An adventurous tale indeed! Most Boys and girls will love the story of a young boy who wakes up to a real baby dinosaur at his bedroom window. The subsequent journey back through time to return the little guy to his parents is not lacking in excitement at all. They meet various creatures from the ice age, the age of mammals, and the cretacious period. And the boy and his dino develop a strong friendship. The illustrations are so realistic and warm. We love this book!