Dinosaur Picture Books Will Never Go Extinct!!

I received this herd/pack/flock of dinosaur picture books from Chronicle Books and Tundra Books, a division of Penguin Random House Canada. As someone whose first stuffed animal was a ride-on dinosaur, I was thrilled to excavate each one. These books, all engaging and unique, delightfully demonstrate that even if dinosaurs have been extinct for Millenia, a world of interpretation remains alive and roaring at our creative fingertips. And because there’s no such thing as too many dinosaur books, I will also share two of my family’s all-time favorites, plus three more recommendations (sans reviews) for good measure. Happy reading!!

THE GREAT DINOSAUR SLEEPOVER
Written by Linda Bailey
Illustrated by Joe Bluhm
Tundra Books: April 8, 2025

The cover of this charming book made my heart melt into a soppy puddle: it features a T-Rex, bearing a wistful expression, a tiny pillow, and a stuffed animal in the shape of a triceratops. And that’s not all! The tiniest ever party hat rests upon their head and a red balloon is looped around their skinny arm. The back cover shows a collection of plant-eating dinosaurs gazing lovingly at a young boy reading a book under a yellow tent. “The best sleepover in the history of the world” is written across the starry night backdrop, and what dinosaur lover wouldn’t agree with that sentiment? The story centers around a dinosaur-loving boy named Jake whose birthday is nearly ruined because his friends are sick. But lo and behold, dinosaurs appear and make it, you guessed it, the best sleepover in the history of …!!! The ending is SUPER adorable, too, when the doubting parents are presented with irrefutable proof. This book is sure to delight dinosaur fans young and old, and makes for the best birthday gift in the history of … the universe!!

DINOS THAT DRIVE
Poems by Suzy Levinson
Pictures by Dustin Harbin
Tundra Books: September 30, 2025

The cover of this clever poetry book shows dinosaurs in a surprising mix of transportation vehicles, and the illustration style by Dustin Harbin lends a bit of Flinstones -esque vibe to my eye. The inside cover exclaims the following: Dino rhymes! Dino gags! Dino information! Dinos playing in a band! Dino transportation! Dino stars! Heaps of beeps and roars! Hop inside and take a ride with driving dinosaurs! Two spokes-dinos provide hilarious commentary for each picture and associatied poem. The funniest titles, and the only ones in a series, are CAR-NIVORE: PART 1, 2 and 3!! Can you guess who’s featured in that series? Other clever titles include VELOCIRAPTOR VELOCITY, IGUANO-GONE: A BAD COUNTRY SONG, and TRACTOR-ODON. In my humble opinion, the poetry in this poetry collection by Suzy Levinson is totally DINO-MITE!!

LENA THE CHICKEN (BUT REALLY A DINOSAUR!)
Written by Linda Bailey
Pictures by K-Fai Steele
Tundra Books: October 28, 2025

Despite the title, I was skeptical at first that this picture book belonged in a dinosaur-themed post. Then I turned it over, and lo and behold, it shows a running chicken with a reflection of a T-Rex underneath. I bow down to author Linda Bailey’s knowledge about dinosaurs, as she’s written (among a bevy of other wonderful books) If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur, Princesses Versus Dinosaurs, and OMG – did you catch it? The Great Dinosaur Sleepover is by Linda, too! In this story, Lena proclaims she’s a dinosaur and deems the rest of her family “a bunch of big chickens!” She chases after humans who try to steal their eggs, and the parents of the human family as well as the other chickens in the coop are getting mighty fed up. But when a weasel threatens to eat the chickens, Lena lets her inner dinosaur out, protecting the other chickens and transforming them into willing dinosaur wanna-be’s. Yes, it’s hard to believe but absolutely true: scientists believe chickens (and other birds) evolved from dinosaurs! The human daughter in this book, always a fan of Lena’s bold personality, features the chicken-dinosaur link in her science fair project at this book’s delightful conclusion.

ULTIMATE DISCOVERY: T. REX
Written by Raphaële Glaux
Pictures by Amélie Falière.
Chronicle Books: March 10, 2026

This novelty board book presents accurate facts on the T. Rex, perfect for the budding paleontologist or any kid who enjoys learning really cool facts. The sliding tabs (highlighted on the cover for good reason) will provide hours of interactive fun for kids, and I dare say, their caregivers as well. Even the cover itself moves, snapping the cover model’s jaw open and closed. In my dinosaur-obsessed view, the most exciting tab is the egg that hatches a tiny T. Rex but that’s the tip of the excitement value this book possesses. I foresee passing my copy to my niece’s 2-year-old son. It will require great willpower on my part to resist sliding the tabs before gifting it to him!!

TINY T. REX TRIES SOCCER
Written by Jonathan Stutzman
Illustrated by Jay Fleck
Chronicle Books: May 19, 2026

I only recently discovered Tiny T. Rex (see my recent discovery section below), but this is the 9th book in this bestselling series by Jonathan Stutzman (adorably illustrated by Jay Fleck). Believe it or not, this book is being released TODAY, in honor of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, occurring in June. Clearly, Tiny T. Rex is suited up to play his favorite sport, and kids will cheer him on as he learns a lot of impressive soccer moves. (PSST: don’t tell the kiddos, but yes, he scores!) Ooh- I’d be remiss if I failed to mention this fun fact: the book contains stickers of the beloved characters!

I’d also be remiss if I didn’t shout out two of my family’s all time favorite dinosaur books. EDWINA: THE DINOSAUR WHO DIDN’T KNOW SHE WAS EXTINCT by Mo Willems (2006) and ENCYCLOPEDIA PREHISTORICA: DINOSAURS by Robert Sabuda and Matthew Reinhart (2005) remain treasured books in our personal library. Lucky for children everywhere, they’re still available for borrowing or purchase today.

Because in my view, kids can never have enough dinosaur books, I’m ALSO excited to share three delightful picture books I discovered recently in my hunt to find the best dinosaur books to share with all of you. Drumroll, please! Here are the winners: ARCHIBALD AND THE FURRY DINOSAURS, TINY T. REX AND THE IMPOSSIBLE HUG, and GRANNY REX. Each were chosen for their delightfully engaging marriage of words and illustrations and their re-readability factor. Even though I’m not including write ups for these gems, I enthusiastically recommend them.

I hope you enjoyed this varied collection of dinosaur-inspired picture books. Please share YOUR favorite dinosaur books in the comments section below, as there is no such thing as borrowing or owning too many!

I’ll end with this fervent wish: that children worldwide will always salivate for dinosaur books – and for dragon and bear books, too!! I promise you won’t have to wait a Millenia for a compilation post (from me) about those exciting topics.