When Dinosaurs Came with Everything

A Review of When Dinosaurs Came with Everything
By Susanne Sacchetti

Broach, Elise. When Dinosaurs Came with Everything (Junior Library Guild Selection). Illustrated by David Small. New York, Antheneum Books, 2007. Unpaged. Hrdcvr. $16.99 ISBN 0689869223.

Who wouldn't want a dinosaur? Or two? Or even three? And imagine getting them for FREE! In When Dinosaurs Came with Everything, that is just what happens. When going out to run errands with his mother, on a seemingly ordinary Friday, a young boy discovers that there is nothing ordinary about today. Today, dinosaurs come with EVERYTHING: With the purchase of a dozen donuts, a haircut, a movie, and lunch; and when you go to the doctor’s office, while you get one for getting a checkup, you get two for getting a shot!

The water color and ink illustrations bring to life this imaginative, humorous story. The illustrations, which are brightly-colored and sketchy, add to the playfulness of the story. David Small (who has also illustrated several other children’s books, including So You Want to be President?, Imogene’s Antlers, and The Library, just to name a few) captures the child’s excitement and imagination and creates dinosaurs that are not frightening but that any child would want as their own.

The story is humorous and easy to follow. With a recommended reading level of ages 4 through 8, some children may encounter difficulty trying to pronounce the dinosaurs’ names or may be unfamiliar with the different types of dinosaurs. Despite this, When Dinosaurs Came with Everything makes a wonderful read-aloud story and will capture any child’s imagination, regardless of age, and will especially be of interest to those with an interest in dinosaurs.

When Dinosaurs Came with Everything is highly recommended for all children and would be an asset to any public or school library collection. Children will walk away from this book laughing, wanting to read it again—and wanting a dinosaur of their own! (If they’re lucky, perhaps one will follow them home from the library! If not, though, there are plenty of dinosaurs to be had in this wonderful story!)