Pirasaurs!
Author: Josh Funk
Illustrator: Michael Slack
Published August 30th, 2016
Summary: We’re Pirasaurs! We’re Pirasaurs!
We rule the open seas!
We’ll cannon-blast you to the past!
We do just what we please!
Meet the Pirasaurs, a ragtag team of seasoned pirate dinosaurs looking for adventure and treasure! There’s fearsome Captain Rex, golden-toothed Velocimate, one-eyed Bronto Beard, and more fearsome, buccaneering beasts….as well as one new recruit who may be small, but who’s eager to prove he can learn the ropes and find his place on the team.
But when a trap is set upon the Pirasaurs while looking for buried treasure, it’s up to the littlest recruit to show the team that there’s more to a Pirasaur than meets the eye patch!
“We’re Pirasaurs! We’re Pirasaurs!
We grunt and roar and sneer!
We’ll steal your books with tails and hooks
And own the blogosphere!
We’re Pirasaurs! We’re Pirasaurs!
We pose a giant threat!
We’ll slash and duel and soon we’ll rule
The world-wide internet!
We’re Pirasaurs! We’re Pirasaurs!
Our story is fantastic!
This grand hardback by Funk & Slack
Is published by Scholastic!
… and will be available on August 30th wherever books are sold!”
-Funk, 2016
Kellee’s Review: Pirate dinosaurs?! I am so glad that Josh Funk thought of this because it makes a perfect picture book! Who doesn’t like dinosaurs or pirates or both?! I will tell you that my son definitely does! I mean, look at that face!
But in addition to how much we like the premise, it is done so well. Josh Funk must think in rhyme because his books rhyme so seamlessly, and it is so impressive. I also liked the characterization within the book because there are some wonderful pirasaur characters that each have such fun personality. And all of this isn’t even mentioning the colorful, beautiful illustrations!
Ricki’s Review: The concept! Ahhhh, the concept! This book had my son RAWGHing for days. It is books like Pirasaurs! that make readers. It shows kids that reading can be really fun and engaging, and I am grateful to have this book in my collection. The words flow beautifully, and the rhymes rolled off of my tongue as I read them. The illustrations pop, and I couldn’t stop smiling as I turned each page. The book takes readers for an adventure that they will remember long after the book ends. Each of the pirasaurs has a different, cooky personality—and my goodness are they hilarious! I highly recommend you get your hands on this book. It’s a winner.
Teachers’ Tools of Navigation: Pirasaurs! would be a perfect mentor text to discuss prediction, rhyme/rhythm, and characterization. First, while reading, stop just when the battle is beginning and have your students predict what they think is going to happen next. Remind them to use prior knowledge or text evidence to support their prediction. Then at the end of the book, students can check their predictions. When finished, the text can be used to analyze rhyme scheme and rhythm. Finally, students can analyze the character traits of each character and look for descriptive language that shows each character’s personality.
Discussion Questions: What are the character traits of each pirasaur?; What rhyme scheme does the book follow?; What do you think is going to happen after the battle?; What jobs do each pirasaur have? How can you tell?; What is the theme of the story?
Book Trailer:
Read This If You Loved: How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long; How Big Were Dinosaurs? by Lita Judge; Ladder to: The Pirate Pig by Cornelia Funke, The High Skies Adventures of Blue Jay the Pirate by Scott Nash, Pirates of the Caribbean: Jack Sparrow (series) by Rob Kidd
Recommended For:
and
**Thank you to Josh Funk for everything!**
Josh Funk is on a major roll right now, and although I haven’t met him in person, he seems to be a genuinely nice person, which makes his success all the more exciting. 🙂
And Talk Like a Pirate Day is coming right up on September 19!