Welcome to the launch of metomi.com, your online source of great reads and activities for young readers! We are reading about one of our favourite creatures, the dinosaur! From brilliantly coloured dinosaurs to groovy prehistoric dancing ones, we've got great book suggestions for every preschooler. Check out our Fun Stuff page too, for a Dress-up T-Rex and a wonderful Dino Digger game. Happy reading and do check out our Library page for more great books!

This book is short on words but cleverly written and illustrated. I was looking for French book recommendations and chose it from the Toronto Public Library recommended list. I was absolutely delighted to have found this book. My daughter had been learning about dinosaurs in class and the book immediately resonated with her. We both enjoyed the French version even though we are both novices in French; the English version is equally good. The illustrations so perfectly depict what an imaginary sick day for a young dinosaur would be like, in a wonderfully humorous and subtle way. There is no simplification of dinosaur names for the sophisticated young reader (depicted on the inside cover of the book) but that also seems to add to the enjoyment of the book. This book is one in a series of 'How do' dinosaur books written by Jane Yolen and I look forward to reading the others with my daughter and son (who also enjoys reading about 'dino-roars').

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We purchased this book from bookcloseouts.com (currently not available on the site) and it not only became a quick favourite, but publisher Candlewick Press also became a source of good reads. The catchy rhyme and vivid, funny illustrations of dinosaurs getting ready for a night out of dancing, good music and fireworks from nearby volcanoes makes it a joy to read and reread. You may find yourself getting into it a bit more than you thought! There's also some fancy dino dance footwork on the first page (and repeated on the last page) that your child may enjoy imitating, as my daughter did (and still does!). Really a joy to read.

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One of my daughter's friends gave her an Indigo gift card for her third birthday last year, and this was the book she selected. Usborne is another favourite publisher for us, lots of reads that get children to work their imaginations on favourite topics. Another sophisticated dinosaur book, the illustrations are detailed and museum quality. There is some text but the purpose of the book is to provide young dinosaur fans with fairly durable, cardboard stencils with which to draw their own creative versions of the more popular (and less known but equally interesting) dinosaurs. It's when your child starts calling out the names (correctly!) at the museum's dinosaur exhibit that it really hits you (in a good way!).

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My daughter is on her second subscription to Chirp thanks to her great aunt Tina. Chirp is a local favourite that really gets it when it comes to what children think is hip and happening. For a year and a half now the magazine has come up with clever activities around great themes like dinosaurs. You will have to buy the back issue direct from their online site but it's an affordable and fun read that will get reread several times more before being retired. We actually started on some used back issues that Tina picked up at a local bookstore, so there's always an option for reuse (if you can keep them in good condition, a difficult task given there are so many activities to scribble on and cut out!) This issue was one of our favourites.

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We really enjoyed this book about a dinosaur who is the town sweetheart, doing good deeds and baking cookies for the townspeople. Everyone loves Edwina and nobody seems to acknowledge nor care that the idea of a dinosaur in a modern-day setting is impossible. All except of course one little boy, who is more interested in being right about his "Dinosaurs are Extinct" theory than to appreciate the wonder that is Edwina. There is a suspenseful moment when Edwina finally understands what the boy is trying to tell everyone, and then a funny moment followed by a happy ending. The illustrations really complement the story nicely.

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