I like Mo Willems. Who doesn’t? His Knufflebunny, Elephant and Piggie, and Pigeon books are beloved by children everywhere! My favorites, however, are the stand-alone titles such as Leonardo, the Terrible Monster, and the focus of this post, Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct.
Edwina is a pearl wearing, purse carrying dinosaur who bakes cookies and practices random acts of kindness all over town. Everyone loves Edwina, except class know-it-all Reginald Von Hoobie-Doobie, who tries to convince everyone that dinosaurs are extinct; he prepares reports and pamphlets with the facts he knows to be true. Much to his dismay and frustration, no one is convinced…except Edwina, who is very surprised by the news. The thing is she doesn’t care, and, eventually, neither does Reginald.
This book is a nice piece that teaches about kindness, friendship and respect, as well as what it’s like to believe in something that goes against the grain. Ultimately, kids will learn that we can all get along, regardless of our differences. I recommend this for children 4-8.
Check the WRL catalog for Edwina: The Dinosaur Who Didn’t Know She Was Extinct.
