Fantastic First Review for ‘Grabble the Dinosaur’

‘Grabble the Dinosaur’ is my latest picture book, and I’m thrilled to have it out in the world and in the hands of readers and their families. Publishing a book can be such a rewarding process. Going from the germ of an idea to a story you can hold in your hand and share with others is very special. It’s the hard work that goes on between those two points, the many creative decisions, that shape the end product. Many of these decisions are made in solitude. Writing and publishing can be a solo pursuit, but for my latest picture book, ‘Grabble the Dinosaur,’ I also had an illustrator and graphic designer involved. When the creative work is done, the waiting is over and readers tell you what they think. (It’s a moment to take a deep breath, cross your fingers and hope that they like it.)

It’s one thing to receive feedback from friends and family (they are usually positive, they like what you do because they like you!) It’s a unique thrill to hear a child’s opinion, because they aren’t trying to be politically correct or spare your feelings. That’s what makes this first fantastic review of ‘Grabble the Dinosaur‘ from young Isla so precious to me.

“Isla absolutely loves the book, she is laughing at the jokes, reading the story and loved when the big dinosaur came and said “stomp stomp stomp”…she especially loved the jokes! Thanks for creating such a beautiful children’s book to share. Congratulations on such a lovely story.”

I’m so pleased that Isla loved the jokes. One of my favourite parts of the process of bringing ‘Grabble the Dinosaur’ together was researching the best dinosaur jokes. I found so many good ones that there is an extra page of jokes at the end of the book!

Grabble the Dinosaur is ideal for children aged 3-6. It’s about a T-Rex named Grabble who wishes he could make the other dinosaurs laugh. Unfortunately, they are too scared of him to hear any of his jokes. Will the annual Dino Talent Show be his opportunity to make new friends? What happens when the fearsome Crackiodorus comes stomping up the valley?

Grabble the Dinosaur Origin Story

I wrote this story when my sons were young. They were part of its creation – naming both of the main characters, Grabble and Crackiodorus. It stayed on my laptop for over five years until I met Ekaterina, an extremely talented artist. It was a thrill to see her bring these colourful characters to life.

Initially, Grabble the Dinosaur was a junior fiction story, so there was a lot of description. Changing it to a picture book format meant I cut down the word length dramatically. When the illustrations were done and I did a book layout I realised there were even more words that could be taken out. The images do paint a thousand words. I really love how Ekaterina managed to capture the emotions of the characters – the fear, hope, worry and happiness. I think children will be able to relate to Grabble’s journey of wanting to try something and feeling like they are unable to, then finding a way through the obstacles and achieving their dream. It’s a story of courage, determination and friendship.

If you’d like to find out about my first book, check out ‘Stories of Imagination.’ It includes a story about Crunch, a dinosaur with a different problem all together. If you’re after more information about dinosaurs in a non-fiction realm, check out these books by DK.

Dinosaurs seem to be a subject that captivates children’s imaginations, curiousity and interest. If you have a child in your life who also loves to laugh, Grabble the Dinosaur will be right up their alley.

I’ll leave you with a couple of jokes that didn’t make it into the book, because I wasn’t sure that 3-6 year olds would understand them. Hopefully they will tickle your prehistoric funny bone.

What do you call a group of dinosaurs who sing?
A tyranno-chorus

What’s a dinosaur’s favorite quote?
Jurassic times call for Jurassic measures!

What do dinosaurs use on their floors?
Rep tiles

What dinosaur could jump higher than a house?
All of them. Houses can’t jump.

If you’d like a copy of Grabble the Dinosaur you can order it here. If you’ve read and loved the book, please take a moment to write a review. It’s the best way to help others discover it online.