Digger the Dinosaur and the Cake Mistake

November 1, 2013

PreS-Gr 1-Digger is a dino kid who has trouble listening. Whenever someone tells him something, he often hears a rhyming word instead. In the first book, Momasaur tells him to clean his room with the aid of his friend, Stego. Stego instructs him to hang his jacket on the hook, but Digger puts it on a book. In Cake Mistake, Digger and his dad are asked to do an important errand, but can't find the cake shop. When Dadasaur says, "We take a right here," Digger hears: "A BITE here?!" This simple form of malapropism is evident in both books and adds to the comic nature of the stories. These books lend themselves to lap reading; the repetition and the lively illustrations will keep the younger audience's attention. Emerging readers may delight in the plays on words, but some will just become exasperated with the dino's antics. Extra purchases where easy readers are needed.-Jasmine L. Precopio, Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh, PA

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