The Dinosaur Who Came to Dinner
Rachael Davis and Mike Byrne
Scholastic

One hot day, DING-A-LING! the intercom beeps and the little girl narrator opens the door to discover something extremely large, green and scaly asking to come in for a drink. Without waiting for a response, in marches a dinosaur promising not to overstay its welcome. Mum duly supplies a jug of lemonade and the dino. gulps down the lot, followed by tea, soup, honey and even ketchup. Then, complaining of the heat again the visitor decides to take a dip in the bathtub. Chaos ensues with bath toys flying every which way, the towel rail crashing down and bubble bath foam flying all over the bathroom.

Deciding to explore further afield, the dinosaur stomps through the block of flats right up to the top. He opens a door and there is a roof garden full of butterflies.

He then decides it’s dinner time and heads all the way back to the kitchen.

Having consumed everything, he departs with a thank you of sorts and a gigantic burp.

All this is told through Rachael Davis’s bouncy rhyming text and Mike Byrne’s zany scenes of an unexpected guest and a little girl’s ‘most amazing day’. With echoes of the classic The Tiger Who Came to Tea, this should be a satisfying story to share with young children: I envisage a second helping will be requested after the initial read.