Book Review: Dinorific Poetry Volume 2 by Michael Sgrignoli

My Book Retreat

This week, I’d like to highlight a great book of poetry that will appeal to most young kids. Two years ago, I reviewed Dinorific Poetry, a collection of dinosaur-related poems written by Michael Sgrignoli and illustrated by his son, Ethan. My kids loved it, so when the author asked me to review Dinorific Poetry Volume 2, I couldn’t resist!

The poems in Volume 2 are much more detailed and longer than in the original book. They provide a lot more information about the different dinosaurs as well. This time, we learn about tiny dinosaurs and why the brontosaurus should be called by another name, among other things. Here’s an excerpt from the poem “Carnotaurus”:

CARNOTAURUS had a pair of horns above his eyes.
Maybe they were ornaments or just a cool disguise.
Maybe he would joust with friends or wave them while he ate –
forcing other dinosaurs to sit around and wait.

I love that the poems are a combination of true facts and silly fantasy. There’s one poem about a kid who has poker-playing dinosaurs as babysitters! But even in that poem we get to hear about six different dinosaurs and how to pronounce their names. In “The Dunkleosteus,” we get more facts than we may want; evidently this dinosaur got sick often and its “sick balls” have been found, revealing interesting facts about the dinosaur. Gross!

Each poem is once again accompanied by watercolor illustrations created by Ethan Sgrignoli. The illustrations in Volume 2 include Ethan’s age when he created them, which I love! His age ranges from 6 to 12 and his artistic abilities have definitely grown over the years. Yet his illustrations are still childlike, giving the book a much more unique and charming appeal.

My kids have been enjoying Diorific Poetry: Volume 2 just as much as the first volume. I highly recommend it if your kids like dinosaurs or if you’re looking for a very fun way to introduce poetry to your children.

Visit the author’s website
Read an excerpt from each Dinorific Poetry book

This review was written based on a copy of Dinorific Poetry Volume 2 that I received from the author in exchange for an honest review. 

For more children’s books reviews, check out What My Child is Reading at Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns.