These next three books are perfect for fans of all things dinosaur.  We have some fabulous fiction, non-fiction and a gorgeous colour and discover book.

‘The Book of Prehistoric Beasts,’ from Angela Rizza and Jonny Marx (Buster Books)

This gorgeous book is a clever mix of facts, profiles and fearsome creatures to colour in. You can journey back through time over more than 400 million years of prehistoric life, from the Devonian to Quaternary period.  Each chapter has its own timeline and introduction so children can learn as they colour.  It features all the well-known favourites as well as some lesser-known species to intrigue even the keenest dino experts.

The Book of Prehistoric Beasts is a brilliant hard-backed book with glistening silver foil cover detail which would make a fantastic gift for a friend or yourself!  The detailed illustrations would make this more suitable for an older child.  A beautiful book.

‘Discovering Dinosaurs,’ by Simon Chapman, illustrated by Rudolf Farkus and Mike Love (Bloomsbury)

Written by real-life explorer, Simon Chapman, this amazing fold-out, pop-up book chronicles the dinosaurs’ rise to supremacy over 230 million years ago at the end of the Late Triassic period.  I loved that the book focuses on the palaeontologists who risked life and limb trekking through inhospitable climates in search of the bones which would become the foundations of our knowledge about the evolution of dinosaurs.  It also tells us just how fossils have been used to help us learn all about the giant lizards which roamed our planet.

I would defy anybody not to become totally engrossed in this fascinating title.  There are fact-files, diaries, letter and log books. Giant pop-ups, flaps and photos.  Did you know that rival teams of fossil hunters would sabotage each other’s sites and even throw stones at each other?  Or even that they would risk camping in viper-infested sites and scale sheer rock faces?

‘How To Look Your Dinosaur,’ by Jason Cockcroft (Nosy Crow)

If you happen to be lucky enough to come by your very own dinosaur egg, you’ll need to know exactly how to take good care of it.  This handy guide takes you through the finer points of hatching your egg, weaning, toilet training and exercising your beast.  Make sure you read it carefully.  After all, raising a pet dinosaur is a BIG responsibility!

A fresh take on the classic dinosaur picture book.  We really enjoyed the informative, explanation style of this ‘How To’ guide.  It also raised a lot of questions about we look after our own pet (a cat, thankfully, not a dinosaur!)

Library Girl.