Boo’s Dinosaur

Betsy Byars's Boo's Dinosaur is a short, funny chapter book for 5 year olds about a little girl whose new pet is a dinosaur nobody else can see.

What happens

Boo wants to play dinosaurs. Her big brother Sammy wants to read his book. ("Don't bother me," he says. Three times.) So Boo heads outside to find a real one.

She's back in a hurry. An animal has followed her home and she wants to keep it! Is it a dog? A cat? A dragon? No, but you're getting close...

Dad goes to the window, looks this way, looks that way, and says yes, she can keep it. Who doesn't love a dad who plays along?

There are six little chapters, and each one is a small story of its own. Boo yelling in the library because her favourite dinosaur book has gone. Boo jumping on the bed so her dinosaur can see her. Boo stuck up a tree, waiting for him to lift her down.

It's all told in short, simple sentences with lots of back and forth, so it's great for a new independent reader. And Boo's "Please, please, please, please, please!" will sound VERY familiar to some parents.

The best bit is Sammy. He's the eye-rolling big brother who's heard it all before. But when Boo is sad, he surprises her (and probably you) with a story about a special friend of his own from when he was little. It's such a sweet sibling moment.

Children with big imaginations will love Boo, especially if they've got an invisible friend of their own. The last chapter leaves even Sammy not quite sure what to believe.

What to read next

For another secret creature who turns family life upside down, try There's a Dragon in my Dinner! Eric opens a free box of beansprouts from the Chinese takeaway and finds a tiny green dragon inside, and that's only the start of his problems.