Dinosaur Dance-Off

Jorden Floss tells a story about a dinosaur family who love to dance. Darwin requests that someone join his troupe, and his mom and dad enthusiastically answer his call. Darwin does not believe that his parents know how to dance. They demonstrate dance moves known as the Sprinkler, the Shovel, Running Man and Darwin time. The story takes an interesting turn when Grandma comes to Darwin’s house and shows that she knows the Jitterbug, Mashed Potato and Twist and Shout. The family all begin to dance together, and, in the end, Darwin realizes that his family is rad, and, despite being older, their dance moves shine.

Floss writes a simple yet fun story. The words on the page bring Darwin’s dinosaur family to life. Children will fall in love with these friendly dinosaurs, and adults will appreciate the nods to nostalgic dance moves. The rhythm and rhyme found in Dinosaur Dance-Off make it a pleasure to read. Readers will enjoy the predictable text found on each page.

Illustrator Sara Theuerkauf creates bright and colourful images that accompany the text impeccably. Her detailed work shows giddy dinosaurs dancing throughout the house. Theuerkauf creates the perfect setting for Darwin’s house, including interesting home décor, and she adds pizazz by showing what is cooking in the kitchen. Who knew dinosaurs ate blueberry pie? Little readers will have fun pointing out the dinosaur pet in nearly every scene.

Dinosaur Dance-Off is a wonderful book to add to your school or library collection. It would be a great addition to home libraries as well, especially for wee readers who enjoy dinosaurs.