Danny and the Dinosaur (original 1958; edition 2008)

by Syd Hoff (Author), Syd Hoff (Illustrator)

Series: Danny and the Dinosaur (1)

Members	Reviews	Popularity	Average rating	Mentions
6,184	53	1,667	(3.69)	10

Danny And The Dinosaur is a series of fun adventures between friends. The series includes stories meant for early readers. This story is the first in its series and sets the scene for how Danny met his lifelong friend, the Dinosaur. Danny goes to the museum and meets a talking dinosaur. Danny shows the dinosaur around his town and introduces him to people, as well as, new activities. It is comical because of all the things the dinosaur does wrong, but he does a lot of nice things as well. He is very helpful and considerate of others, which can be a good lesson for kids to learn. The moral of the story is that one can form friendships in mysterious places. Class discussions could revolve around making friends, not judging a book by its cover, and being polite/kind to everyone. A teacher could use this in their classroom to teach students on what makes a good person. Good people are kind, polite, helpful, and fun. The pictures in this book are fun, full of color, and vibrant. Its important for beginning readers to read books with eye-popping pictures to grab their attention and get them interested in the story. (

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aschuler | Sep 23, 2015 |

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10 copies

PBEBOOKS | Aug 9, 2024 |

Animal

BooksInMirror | Feb 19, 2024 |

Danny loves dinosaurs. When he sees one at the museum, he thinks aloud that it would be nice to play with one. When a dinosaur answers Danny, they have a wonderful adventure together.

PlumfieldCH | Dec 7, 2023 |

Month of January 2022: Young Reader’s Classics

READING LEVEL: 2.3 AR POINTS: 0.5

A cute children’s I Can Read book written and published in 1958. It is similar to the Dick and Jane I Can Read books, which are the books we learned to read in school. I’m just now reminded of a book my mom bought us girls about Harry the dog written by Gene Zion. I remember specifically reading “Harry the Dirty Dog (1956), which I just now read again free on Archive.org website. I had totally forgotten about that book. Unfortunately, my family didn’t save any of our childhood books.

This is 1 of 4 books saved by the Woolwine family. It was in with my cousin’s (Lancer Woolwine) family photos, which I am currently organizing for their family. (

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MissysBookshelf | Aug 27, 2023 |

My son reports this is likely a brontosaurus. A fun beginners book.

FamiliesUnitedLL | Jun 19, 2023 |

Simple story but engaging for a young child.
The illustrations are "dated" but suit the text.
Still good fun.
(Dates are for latest re-reading.) (

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librisissimo | Oct 13, 2020 |

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lcslibrarian | Aug 13, 2020 |

I don't remember reading this as a child. It was a fun story and I see why it is still around. It is rather long for an easy reader, but it flows well. (

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LibrarianRyan | Jun 26, 2019 |

Danny sees a dinosaur in a museum and the dino abandons its post to play with Danny all day. Their adventures come to an end when the dino has to return to the museum. (

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JennyArch | Oct 17, 2018 |

“Danny and the Dinosaur” is by Syd Hoff. This book is about Danny. He goes to a museum and he sees a dinosaur. He likes the dinosaur. Danny things it’s not real, but it’s real. Danny climbs up on the dinosaur and Danny gets out of the museum with his friend dinosaur. This book is funny because the dinosaur speaks and he is funny. I think everyone will like this book. I like this book very much. I want to recommend it to everybody. I give this book five out of five stars! - Ryan Kim, Tulip Class, February 2018

RIS_Kids_Academy | Sep 21, 2018 |

Syd Hoff was a Jewish-American cartoonist and children's book author, best known for his classic early reader "Danny and the Dinosaur." His cartoons appeared in a multitude of genres, including advertising commissions for such companies as Eveready Batteries, Jell-O, OK Used Cars, S.O.S Pads, Rambler, Ralston Cereal, and more. Source: Wikipedia. An I CAN READ BOOK. Fantasy of children playing with a dinosaur from a museum.

uufnn | Jul 21, 2018 |

RIS_Kids_Academy | Feb 21, 2018 |

I Can Read series

jhawn | Jul 31, 2017 |

Summary:
A boy names Danny goes into a museum to explore. He finds all sorts of interesting displays, but becomes very excited to see the dinosaurs. Just about the time he wishes that they were real and of the dinosaurs begins to talk to Danny. They go on an adventure through the town together and have a wonderful time.
Personal Reaction:
I have always loved this book from as far back as I can remember. I think back to being at the lake reading and wishing that I had a dinosaur to ride on. Who doesn't wish they would have seen a live dinosaur at least once in their lives.
Classroom Extension:
1.We could use the paint and make our own dinosaurs. Then talk about where we would go if we got to ride on a dinosaur for the day.
2. Together as a group the classroom could talk about our neighborhoods and the different places in our own neighborhoods a dinosaur could take us. (

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Charessa | Jul 13, 2017 |

talks about a fun the adventures of a little boy and his dinosaurs.
2 books

TUCC | Nov 11, 2016 |

Danny gets his wish when a dinosaur leaves the museum for the day to play. A good book for a child to learn to read, discuss dinosaurs, and learn about friendship. (

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dbuster | Apr 20, 2016 |

This story is about Danny, a young boy who goes to a museum and meets a dinosaur. Both the dinosaur and Danny want to spend together, so the dinosaur leaves the museum for a day of adventures with Danny. They travel through the city and eventually stop at the park to play with children before the dinosaur must return to the museum and Danny must return home. The plot is fun and shows what happens to Danny and the dinosaur throughout their time together, and is paced to allow the reader to wonder what will happen next as they come upon new people, places, and potential problems they must solve. Through the plot and the situations that they encounter, the dinosaur's friendly and kind nature is revealed, while Danny is shown to be a character that is kind and helpful. Even in the imaginary world, the theme of being helpful and friendship being important is evident.
Media: pen, crayon, pencil
Genre: Picture book, beginning reader picture book ("I wish we had a boat, said Danny."), animal fantasy. (

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JessicaRojas | Mar 30, 2016 |

I found this to be a very nice read. I thought it was a very cute book because its about a person becoming best friends with a dinosaur. This book can be used for a teacher showing their students what it takes to be a good friend and a good person. It sets many examples for young kids on how to treat friends and people they care about. (

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nicole.emanuele | Nov 30, 2015 |

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aschuler | Sep 23, 2015 |

Danny the Dinosaur is a fun book for children to read because it shows the relationship between a boy named Danny and a dinosaur that he helps guide around in the human world. Danny lead the dinosaur through town and introduced him to his friends. They all played together as they accepted the dinosaur and accommodated him into their games. For example, when they were playing hide and go seek, all the children were able to find the dinosaur because he was obviously bigger than the objects that he was hiding behind. The dinosaur was upset that he always lost the game so to make him happy, the children pretended to not see him so he would win the game. This teaches children a valuable lesson to sacrifice some things to make other people happy whether it be a silly game or an object of worth. This book is also an easy read with a clear language that children can use for independent reading or practicing reading aloud.

brittanyyelle | Sep 15, 2015 |

I enjoyed these books when I was a child and the kids I read them to enjoyed them all over again! They are great books for beginner readers.

EmilySansovich | Apr 27, 2014 |

While at the museum, Danny wishes he could play with the dinosaur. The dinosaur hears his request, comes to life, and the two have lots of adventure and fun in the city for a day. I like this book because of its emphasis on imagination, which is great for children to possess. This book would be suitable for a K-2 classroom to differentiate between fantasy and real life, but also to show students that imagination is a gateway between the two worlds.

DanielleJorgenson | Dec 11, 2013 |

This story, by Syd Hoff, was not a favorite of mine among all of the childrens literature that I have read so far. It is an "I Can Read" book, which should be used for children who are still learning sight words and practicing their fluency. The story has a simple plot, a boy who find a dinosaur that comes to life in a museum and spends the day playing with the boy. The illustrations are very simple paintings, that will allow students to focus more so on what they are reading than what is in the pictures. This story should not be used a whole-class read aloud or part of a whole-class lesson. (

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DannieN | Nov 21, 2013 |

Danny spends a day with a dinosaur and the two become best friends until the dinosaur has to go back to the museum where Danny saw him. This book is an enjoyable read in the fact that it is very simple and the message is that no matter how different you and someone else are it does not matter. Anybody can be friends with anybody.

DJRyskie | Nov 9, 2013 |

A great early reader! It's about a little boy befriending a huge dinosaur, leading to them doing tons of fun stuff together. What 5 year old wouldn't love that? It's imaginative enough that my kid kept reading through all 64 pages without wanting to stop except to admire the fun, colorful pictures. I can see why it's a classic. (

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Fjola | Oct 17, 2013 |

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