November is DINOvember, and we’re here to help you celebrate with 12 picture books about dinosaurs, from the silly to the scientific.
Dinos are a perennial kid favorite, maybe because these big, bold creatures can be depicted with big, bold personalities and feelings that make them great stand-ins for young kids dealing with the world around them. They’re especially fun when combined with other kid favorites like trucks, trains, sports or pirates!
There are so many good dinosaur picture books out there that it was hard to narrow down this list to just a dozen – if you just can’t get enough dino books, here are more lists from various libraries:
P.S. – Today (November 12, 2025) from 2-3pm, stop by the library for Dinosaur Craft Time!
Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs by Byron Barton
A fun first book about dinosaurs for the littlest listeners. “This superb introduction for the very young shares the excitement of dinosaurs with its audience, without tangling their attention spans in boring details.” (School Library Journal)
Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems
In this typically zany Willems story, Mama Dinosaur, Papa Dinosaur and “some other Dinosaur who happened to be visiting from Norway” are definitely not making tasty chocolate pudding in order to lure a yummy little girl into their home.
I’m Bad! by Kate McMullan
“A hungry Tyrannosaurus rex searches for food in the prehistoric forest but is thwarted in its attempts to find something to eat.” See also I’m Big.
Dino-Soccer by Lisa Wheeler
“Plant-eating dinosaurs face meat-eating dinosaurs in a soccer match.” If soccer’s not your sport, Wheeler also has books about dinosaurs playing hockey, baseball, basketball and football, and wrestling, skateboarding, swimming and racing cars.
Dinosaur Roar! by Paul Stickland
“Illustrations and rhyming text present all kinds of dinosaurs, including ones that are sweet, grumpy, spiky or lumpy.”
Dinosaur Bob and His Adventures With the Family Lazardo by William Joyce
In this delightfully quirky book, “the Lazardo family finds and brings back to America a friendly dinosaur that becomes the talk of the town,” even playing baseball for the local team.
How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight by Jane Yolen
In this entertaining and edifying book, “Mother and child ponder the different ways a dinosaur can say goodnight, from slamming his tail and pouting to giving a big hug and kiss.” Part of a lengthy series of “How Do Dinosaurs…” books, if you like this one!
My Visit to the Dinosaurs by Aliki
“A visit to a museum of natural history provides a little boy with an introduction to the habits, characteristics and habitats of fourteen kinds of dinosaurs.”
Dinotrux by Chris Gall
“Millions of years ago, the prehistoric ancestors of today’s trucks, such as garbageadon, dozeratops and craneosaurus, roamed the Earth until they rusted out and became extinct.”
When Dinosaurs Came With Everything by Elise Broach
“Although his mother is a little worried, a young boy is delighted to discover that every shop in town is giving away real dinosaurs to their customers.”
Kitties on Dinosaurs by Michael H. Slack
“They’re adorable! They’re daring! They’re kitties who love to climb things — things like cat trees and real trees, and oh yeah . . . dinosaurs! What could possibly go wrong?”
If I Had a Dinosaur by Gabby Dawnay
“Although she has considered other pets, a young girl is sure a dinosaur would be the perfect pet and imagines all the things she would do with her dinosaur.”
(The descriptions in quotes above are from the library catalog unless otherwise noted.)
Friends of Montclair Library 