3.5 - kiddo really liked it, cute illustrations. Story didn’t have much depth, was just silly (but he liked it).

This book is so funny! What would you do if you had a dinosaur? This cute little picture book has a lot of practical suggestions. It would be so much fun to read with kids and then talk about all the other things we could do if we had our own dinosaur. Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this.

This book was cute. The illustrations were colorful, fun, and engaging, but the story felt like it went on too long- trying to hard to continue the topic. I did like the ending where it opens it up to other animals and their random uses.

This was a very cute book, it reminded me of If You Give A Mouse a Cookie and those types of books. I can’t wait to get my nephew a copy!

Such a fun book! I loved what the visual artist did to do something different with the writing. The words were integrated around, yet still in conjunction with, the whimsical and unique drawings of dinosaurs, making this book very fresh. Adding onto that, I loved the variety of dinosaurs that were pictured AND focused on, and it allows readers to have a chance to learn about what they like, specifically which dinosaur(s) they like most. Lastly, the story was wildly fun, and I know that kids will absolutely adore this book. The ending was also cleverly open-ended, and it encourages kids to think up their own stories (about kangaroos) long after finishing this book.
Bravo!

If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur is an adorable and clever book that teaches creative problem solving and loving one another despite differences. The book opens with a child find a fully grown dinosaur - inside their house! Instead of being afraid, the child chooses to embrace this, looking for all the ways a dinosaur can help them around the house. Encouraging out of the box thinking, this book presents several options for what a dinosaur can get up to: cracking nuts, mashing potatoes, trimming trees, being a kite! This book explores many different dinosaur species in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Wings or feet, this book shows that every dinosaur, and therefore every person, has their strengths, and those strengths are so wonderful! This book manages to be both hilarious and meaningful, with a great message.

If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur is a clever and humourous book that models creative, out of the box thinking. The illustration style supports the humourous tone. It would be a good book to kick off a writing unit, particularly because of the ending. It would also work to introduce brainstorming and would be a good pick for an improv class in drama.

This is such a fun Dino book for kids. My daughters were laughing at all the silly jobs the dinosaurs were doing. This is an excellent book to buy the kids in your life!

This is a must buy children’s book!!! The story flows lovely, and the illustrations are phenomenal. Every dinosaur loving children or teacher in your life needs this book!

Adorable book for kids. I did not love all of the illustrations, but thought the overall story was adorable.

This story was quick and funny not to mention cleverly written. Definitely engaging for the 4-6 age range. A perfect mix of silly and thoughtful. My only complaint is what seems like quite an abrupt ending. Beautiful silly artwork!

What a lovely read for any child interested in dinosaurs. It was so cute and I loved the illustrations, perfect to expand your imagination. My little ones were giggling at this book. How can I get one to mow my lawn or help open a can? Asking for a friend…

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Dinosaurs are useful creatures! If You Happen to Have a Dinosaurs shows all the ways dinosaurs could help with day-to-day tasks. It talks about how dinosaurs come in different shapes and sizes, making some of them the best and worst for different chores. This book is extra silly, featuring several types of dinosaurs and it mentions other animals. too. I recommend this book for the young dinosaur lovers.

A big 'thank you' to NetGalley and Penguin Random House Canada for an advanced read copy of this book!

Linda Bailey writes an adorable and imaginative story of all the ways a dinosaur could be helpful... in case you just happen to have one hanging around your house! My first grade daughter was laughing out loud as we read this book together. Linda's writing in engaging and creative for both kids and their parents alike. As an elementary special education teacher, I know my students would love this book as well! This book would make a great addition to a classroom or school library or to give as a gift for a dinosaur lover.

This is a silly, fun, adorable book which I’m sure my Pre-K students would love for our Dino theme. I did not realize it’s been out for 10 years, but the paperback is being released for the first time in 2025 so I’ve been gifted an ARC of that edition from Netgalley to read and review.
The illustrations are my favorite part-certainly something children will giggle at and make many adults smile at the humor of the situation depicted. The story is similar to a few others I’ve read, among them the timeless “Danny and the Dinosaur” by Syd Hoff, as well as the “How Do Dinosaurs…” series by Jane Yolen. However, the illustrations are quite different from those. It will have children thinking at the very end. After it’s given all kinds of possibilities of what to do with a dinosaur, it asks the question “what do you do with a kangaroo” (might be a good lead in to the book by the same name written by Mercer Mayer!). I’d love to ask the question of my students to see what they would do with a kangaroo (or a dinosaur for that matter!). They always enjoy activities such as that and it’s good to get them talking and brainstorming.
Thank you to Netgalley for an ARC of this new edition. All opinions in this review are my own.

Adorable and silly, while also being a story about what it might be like living with tame dinosaurs, and the many different ways one could integrate them into a family's daily life. It's fun, with whimsical, humorous artwork -- this is a book I would have loved to read when I was young and imagined I wanted to be a paleontologist.

Thank you to Netgalley and to Penguin Random House Canada for this ARC in exchange for my review.

Such a fun book for babies and toddlers! I don't quite get the ending, though. I'm not sure why it just ends with a question about kangaroos. I guess it's setting up for another book? But that's weird for a kids book. 3 stars because of that. Otherwise, I loved this one.

This book was so cute! It reminded me of the If you Give a Mouse a Cookie collection. My daughter is really in to dinosaurs and she loved all the illustrations with so many types of dinosaurs. I would recommend this book to my daughter’s friends who also love dinosaurs and reading!

If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur is an adorable picture book that gives you all sorts of tips on what to do if you have a dinosaur. I loved how zany it was, and the out of the box suggestions. The illustrations are absolutely fantastic, and this would be a huge hit with any young dino fan.

Thanks to NetGalley, Linda Bailey, and Penguin Random House for the chance to read and review. My opinions are my own.

Thank you NetGalley for the complimentary ebook to review this title.

This title explores domestic uses of dinosaurs. It was humorous throughout and will definitely spark little imaginations.

The illustrations were bright and vibrant too.