Ages 5 to 8 · checked September 28, 2026
Dinosaur story books for kids who already know every dinosaur
Your child can tell a Stegosaurus from an Ankylosaurus at twenty paces and has read the encyclopedias until the spines gave up. What they want now is a story, with dinosaurs who have a problem to solve. Here are 13 good ones, sorted by the kind of child they suit, with the age, how long they take to read aloud and how scary they get.
Before you scroll
- The books are grouped by need, not ranked, because the right one depends on your child.
- Titles link to the publishers. There are no affiliate links, so we earn nothing from them.
- One of the books is ours. It sits in its own box, marked, and we describe it the same way as the rest.
At a glance
Which one for which child?
| If your child | Try |
|---|---|
| Knows every dinosaur by name | Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs, How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? or Katie and the Dinosaurs |
| Laughs hardest at rude jokes | The Dinosaur That Pooped a Planet! or We Don't Eat Our Classmates! |
| Is sensitive, or it's for bedtime | How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?, Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug or Tea Rex |
| Wants danger and a real adventure | Gigantosaurus, Dinosaur Cove: Attack of the Tyrannosaurus or Dinosaurs Are Back (ours) |
| Is starting to read alone, or would rather not | Danny and the Dinosaur or Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark |
| Reads well and wants a longer story | The Dino Files: A Mysterious Egg or Dinosaur Cove: Attack of the Tyrannosaurus |
For laughs
Funny dinosaur books
Picture books to read aloud. Their publishers pitch most of them younger than 5, and that's fine: a 6 or 7 year old still laughs at a T. rex who eats the class, and they're the ones who get the joke first.
We Don't Eat Our Classmates!
Ryan T. Higgins · a Penelope Rex book
- Ages
- 3 to 5
- Kind
- Picture book
- Read aloud
- About 5 minutes
- How scary
- A little tension
Penelope Rex starts school and finds out her classmates are children. Children are delicious. It takes a goldfish with strong opinions to show her how it feels to be someone's snack. A 7 year old gets the jokes too, often before you do.
How scary: Cartoon only. Penelope swallows her classmates whole and spits them out covered in drool, and the class goldfish bites her finger.
Best for: Children with a slightly dark sense of humour, and anyone nervous about starting school.
Disney-Hyperion, 2018. 48 pages. Age range from the publisher. Publisher's page
Tea Rex
Molly Idle · followed by Camp Rex and Sea Rex
- Ages
- 3 to 5
- Kind
- Picture book
- Read aloud
- About 3 minutes
- How scary
- Not scary
Cordelia invites a very large T. rex to tea. The words read like a polite etiquette guide, and the pictures show her guest wrecking everything. The whole joke is in that gap, which is why 5 and 6 year olds like pointing it out to you.
How scary: Some roaring, a lot of broken china, and a close call for the teddy bear.
Best for: The younger end of the range, and children who love catching the pictures contradicting the words.
Viking, 2013. 40 pages. Age range from the publisher. Publisher's page
The Dinosaur That Pooped a Planet!
Tom Fletcher and Dougie Poynter, illustrated by Garry Parsons · one of The Dinosaur That Pooped books; the first is The Dinosaur That Pooped Christmas!
- Ages
- 4 to 8
- Kind
- Picture book in rhyme
- Read aloud
- About 5 minutes
- How scary
- A little tension
Danny takes Dino to space and forgets his lunch box, so Dino eats the rocket, the moon and a good part of the solar system. The only way home is exactly what the title says. It rhymes, and it's silly from start to finish.
How scary: Danny and Dino get stranded in space, and Dino swallows Martians and whole planets, all played for laughs. The poop pictures are big and detailed. Some grown-ups mind that more than children do.
Best for: A child who thinks toilet jokes are the funniest thing in the world. If you don't, skip it.
Red Fox, 2013. 32 pages. US edition from Aladdin, 2017. Age range from the Library of Congress record for the US edition. Publisher's page (UK)
For bedtime and sensitive children
Gentle dinosaur books
No chases and nobody gets eaten. Two of these three are also secretly made for the child who knows every name.
How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?
Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mark Teague · the How Do Dinosaurs... series
- Ages
- 4 to 8
- Kind
- Picture book in rhyme
- Read aloud
- About 3 minutes
- How scary
- Not scary
Huge dinosaurs are being put to bed by their human parents. Do they stomp, sulk and demand one more story? No, they give a hug and turn out the light. Every dinosaur is a real species, and its name is hidden somewhere in the picture, so a child who knows them all gets a job to do on every page.
How scary: Nothing scary at all.
Best for: Bedtime, sensitive children, and name spotters.
The Blue Sky Press (Scholastic), 2000. 40 pages. Age range from the publisher (Scholastic Canada). Publisher's page
Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs
Ian Whybrow, illustrated by Adrian Reynolds · the Harry and the Dinosaurs books
- Ages
- 3 to 7
- Kind
- Picture book
- Read aloud
- About 5 minutes
- How scary
- A little tension
Harry finds a box of old plastic dinosaurs, looks up every real name and carries them everywhere in a bucket. When he leaves them on a train, he proves they're his by calling each one by name. If your child already talks like a museum label, they'll recognise themselves.
How scary: The only worry is losing the dinosaurs on a train for a while. They come back.
Best for: The child who corrects you when you say "the one with the long neck".
Random House, 1999. 32 pages. First published in 1999. The first US edition was called Sammy and the Dinosaurs. Age range from the publisher. Publisher's page
Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug
Jonathan Stutzman, illustrated by Jay Fleck · the Tiny T. Rex books
- Ages
- 3 to 5
- Kind
- Picture book
- Read aloud
- About 4 minutes
- How scary
- Not scary
His friend Pointy is sad, so Tiny wants to give him a hug, which is hard with arms that short. His family's advice is useless and his practice goes badly, until he finds a way. It manages to be sweet without going soppy.
How scary: A cactus prick and a short fall that ends safely.
Best for: Gentle readers, and anyone who has ever felt too small for the job.
Chronicle Books, 2019. 48 pages. Age range from the publisher. Publisher's page
For a bit of danger
Adventure picture books
Picture books with a real problem to solve, and a big meat-eater or two. Each one ends safely. The "how scary" notes tell you exactly where the frights are.
Gigantosaurus
Jonny Duddle
- Ages
- 3 to 7
- Kind
- Picture book in rhyme
- Read aloud
- About 5 minutes
- How scary
- Some peril
Bonehead the lookout keeps shouting "Gigantosaurus!" for a laugh, until the real one comes and nobody believes him. It's the boy who cried wolf with dinosaurs, in bouncy rhyme, and a big fold-out page at the scary bit.
How scary: A huge meat-eater turns up, a little dinosaur is left on his own, and a fold-out page makes it look as if he has been eaten. He hasn't, and the last page shows it.
Best for: Children who like a jolt, and a chat afterwards about telling the truth.
Templar, 2014. 32 pages. US edition from Candlewick. Not the TV series of the same name. Age range from Publishers Weekly's listing of the US edition (we couldn't open the publisher's page). Library record
Katie and the Dinosaurs
James Mayhew · the Katie books
- Ages
- From 3
- Kind
- Picture book
- Read aloud
- About 8 minutes
- How scary
- Some peril
On a museum visit with Grandma, Katie slips through a door marked No Admittance and ends up in the time of the dinosaurs. She helps a lost baby dinosaur find its parents, and gets away from a hungry T. rex by throwing it her lunch.
How scary: One real fright: a hungry Tyrannosaurus comes after Katie. It's over quickly and nobody is hurt.
Best for: Museum lovers, and children who wish they could go back and see the dinosaurs for themselves.
Orchard Books, 1991. 32 pages. Age range from the publisher. Publisher's page
Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures with the Family Lazardo
William Joyce
- Ages
- 4 to 8
- Kind
- Picture book
- Read aloud
- About 10 minutes
- How scary
- A little tension
The Lazardo family bring a huge, friendly dinosaur home from safari. Bob plays the trumpet, dances and loves baseball, until chasing cars with the neighbourhood dogs gets him into real trouble with the town. The pictures glow, and the town comes round in the end.
How scary: Bob is arrested and locked up, and the family help him escape. It's also from 1988, and Common Sense Media points out a stereotyped servant and colonial safari outfits that look dated now.
Best for: Children who love a big, gentle dinosaur and a bit of mischief.
Atheneum (Simon & Schuster), 1988. 48 pages. First published in 1988. The 2017 edition adds new pictures and a song. Age range from the publisher. Publisher's page
For reading alone, or a few bedtimes in a row
First dinosaur chapter books
For a child who is starting to read, or who wants a story that lasts more than one night. The first two are the easiest; the last two suit confident readers of 7 and up, or a longer read-aloud.
Danny and the Dinosaur
Syd Hoff · the Danny and the Dinosaur books
- Ages
- Beginning readers
- Kind
- Early reader
- Read aloud
- About 10 minutes
- How scary
- Not scary
Danny wishes he could play with a museum dinosaur, and one steps off its stand and spends the day with him around town, giving rides and trying to hide behind houses. The sentences are short and simple, so a new reader can finish a whole book on their own.
How scary: None at all.
Best for: New readers who want to read a dinosaur story all by themselves.
HarperCollins, 1958. 64 pages. An I Can Read book. Age range from the publisher (I Can Read Level 1). Publisher's page
Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark
Mary Pope Osborne, illustrated by Sal Murdocca · Magic Tree House, book 1
- Ages
- 6 to 9
- Kind
- Early chapter book
- Read aloud
- About 45 minutes, over two or three nights
- How scary
- Some peril
Jack and Annie find a tree house full of books, and it carries them back to the time of the dinosaurs. They meet gentle plant-eaters, find a gold medallion and run from a T. rex, and they're home in time for dinner. If it works, the series has dozens more.
How scary: One chase: a Tyrannosaurus goes after Jack, and a Pteranodon carries him to safety.
Best for: Children ready for chapters, and reluctant readers: the chapters are short and the ending is a hook.
Random House, 1992. 80 pages. Age range from the publisher. Publisher's page
The Dino Files: A Mysterious Egg
Stacy McAnulty, illustrated by Mike Boldt · The Dino Files, book 1
- Ages
- 7 to 10
- Kind
- Early chapter book
- Read aloud
- About 1 hour 30 minutes, a week of bedtimes
- How scary
- A little tension
Frank spends the summer at his grandparents' dinosaur museum in Wyoming, where a fossil egg hatches into a real baby dinosaur. He and his cousin have to keep it secret. It's more cheerful than thrilling, which suits a child who likes real science in their story.
How scary: Very little. The baby dinosaur gets a tummy ache from junk food, and the only baddies are a nosy neighbour and his dad.
Best for: Confident readers of 7 and up, and fact lovers: there's a glossary of dinosaur words at the back.
Random House, 2016. 128 pages. Age range from the publisher. Publisher's page
Dinosaur Cove: Attack of the Tyrannosaurus
Rex Stone, illustrated by Mike Spoor · Dinosaur Cove, book 1. In the UK it's called Attack of the Lizard King, and in 2022 the series came back, rewritten, as Dinosaur Club
- Ages
- 7 to 9
- Kind
- Early chapter book
- Read aloud
- About 45 minutes
- How scary
- Real peril
Jamie and his new friend Tom step into fossil footprints in a cave and come out in a world of living dinosaurs. A small, friendly dinosaur shows them around, until a T. rex spots them. There are dinosaur fact files along the way, which fact-mad readers like.
How scary: Real peril for this age. A Tyrannosaurus hunts the two boys, and the chase is the heart of the book.
Best for: Adventure lovers of 7 to 9 who want danger, and a long series to work through.
Scholastic, 2008. 80 pages. Rex Stone is a pen name. Age range from the publisher (Scholastic's teacher listing). Library record
Our own book
Dinosaurs Are Back: Spike in New Adventures
by Katia Sunn · Made Of You, 2026
- Ages
- 6 to 10
- Kind
- Picture book, 54 pages
- Read aloud
- About 15 minutes, or two bedtimes
- How scary
- Real peril
Spike, a young Triceratops, tells this one himself. His baby brother's egg has been stolen, and he sets off across the forest to find it. Every dinosaur he meets has a part to play. The Tyrannosaurus chases him for hours and then offers to help, and a Velociraptor trades clues for chickens. Kids who know their dinosaurs will catch the real details, like the Ankylosaurus fighting with its tail club, and there's a page of real dinosaur facts at the end.
Unlike anything else on this list, each of the ten dinosaurs is also a 3D model. Scan the code on the page with a phone or tablet and the dinosaur stands in your room, in the browser, with no app. If you'd rather keep screens out of bedtime, the story works fine without them.
Before you choose it, know that it came out in September 2026, so it doesn't have years of reviews like the classics above. It's long for a picture book. And it's a paperback printed by Amazon, not a hardback.
How scary: Real peril, played for courage and laughs. A Tyrannosaurus chases Spike, a Spinosaurus nearly eats him and spits him out, a wounded Carnotaurus whispers "RUN!", and the friends end up in a dark cave. The big fight happens off the page, and every egg gets home.
Best for: A child who knows the dinosaurs and wants a mystery to solve, and 7 and 8 year olds who think picture books are for little kids.
Checked September 28, 2026
How we chose
We started from the questions real parents ask in forums (“obsessed with dinosaurs”, “knows every name”, “not just fact books”, “how much peril?”) and from the books that keep getting recommended to them. Then we kept only the ones that are stories, where the dinosaurs are characters with something to do, and dropped the fact books and anything we couldn't check.
For every book we read the publisher's page or a library record for the author, the format, the page count and the age range. The ages you see are the publisher's own. The read-aloud times are our estimates from the page and word counts, at an easy bedtime pace. “How scary” comes from the publisher's description and from published reviews, and we say what actually happens, so you can judge it for your own child.
We make picture books ourselves, so we have a horse in this race. That's why our own book is in a separate, labelled box and is described exactly like the others, peril and all. Nobody paid to be on this list, and there are no affiliate links. Something wrong, or a favourite we missed? Tell us at info@madeofyou.com.
Questions
What parents ask
- My 6 year old knows every dinosaur name. Which story books will they actually enjoy?
- Ones that use the names properly. In Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs, a boy gets his lost dinosaurs back by calling each one by its real name, and How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? hides the species name in every picture. For more adventure, try Katie and the Dinosaurs or Gigantosaurus. If they're reading on their own, Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark is the classic first chapter book.
- Are dinosaur picture books too babyish for a 7 year old?
- Some are. Publishers pitch most dinosaur picture books at ages 3 to 7, so at 7 pick the ones with jokes that work on two levels, like We Don't Eat Our Classmates! or Tea Rex, where the pictures contradict the words. Or step up to a first chapter book: Dinosaurs Before Dark (ages 6 to 9) or The Dino Files (7 to 10).
- Which dinosaur books have the least peril for a sensitive child?
- How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?, Tiny T. Rex and the Impossible Hug, Tea Rex and Danny and the Dinosaur have no real danger at all, and in Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs the only worry is some lost toys. Wait on Gigantosaurus, Katie and the Dinosaurs and Dinosaur Cove: each has a big meat-eater going after the heroes.
- How much peril is in The Christmasaurus?
- More than most parents expect. The Christmasaurus is a novel of about 400 pages, and its US publisher lists it for ages 8 to 12. A villain called the Hunter wants the dinosaur as a trophy and shoots William's dad, who survives, and near the end the dinosaur swallows the Hunter. William's mum has died, and a bully teases him about it. It can work as a family read-aloud from about 7 if you read those chapters first. For a 5 or 6 year old, there's a much gentler 32-page picture book with the same name.
- What's a good first dinosaur chapter book for a reluctant reader?
- Magic Tree House: Dinosaurs Before Dark. It's 80 pages with short chapters, a T. rex chase and a Pteranodon rescue, and there are dozens more in the series if it clicks. For an even gentler start, Danny and the Dinosaur is a Level 1 early reader. Reading the first chapter together and letting them take over from there often helps.
More for dinosaur-mad kids, free
Dinosaur facts for kids, ten dinosaurs with a page each · dinosaur riddles · dinosaur jokes, each with a true fact · what was the biggest dinosaur? · dinosaur gifts that aren't toys · kindness picture books