Skip to the book lists

How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?

Book cover for How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen

Questions about dinosaur bedtime misbehavior lead into affectionate goodnight actions, letting children compare familiar routines with an outsized comic character.

How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? by Jane Yolen is estimated to take about 3.5 minutes to read aloud (152 words, 1 sentence a spread). Best for ages 2-5.

Check the book on AmazonAffiliate link

Estimated read-aloud time
about 3.5 minutesEstimated read-aloud time
Words
152Word count
Sentences per spread
1Text density
Re-read tolerance
5/5strong repeat appeal
Vocabulary level
2/5everyday words
Best for
Ages 2-5Age range

Our review

Tail-slamming and pouting become possible answers to the question of how a dinosaur says goodnight. The contrast matters: a very large animal makes small bedtime refusals look absurd, then hugs and kisses offer a different answer. A listener can notice the shift without needing a lecture about behaving well.

The question form gives children a place to answer, but it does not require them to perform every behavior. Llama Llama Red Pajama follows one child's worry while waiting for a mother to return; How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night? compares possible bedtime actions. Choose Llama when separation is the difficult part of the evening, and Dinosaurs when the child enjoys a playful discussion of the routine itself.

Before you buy it

The earlier questions give plenty of attention to refusal and noisy behavior. Read the kind ending as part of the story rather than turning the book into a test of a child's bedtime manners.

Themes

  • bedtime
  • dinosaurs
  • stalling
  • rhyme

Books like How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?

More books with similar themes, formats, lengths and ways to join in.