Celebrating the 10th anniversary of this best-selling picture book series, Kristina Stephenson and Sir Charlie Stinky Socks bring us ‘The Dinosaur’s Return’.

reviewed by @MrsALifeLearner

As a mum to two energetic boys, both of whom love knights and relish tales of bravery, Sir Charlie Stinky Socks is one of our favourite all time characters. Each adventure has ignited their imagination through detailed, colourful illustrations and exciting tales that appeal to their interests. Whether it is discovering treasure, adventuring with pirates or being on an Egyptian escapade, Kristina Stephenson never fails to thrill.

Sir Charlie is a brave and bold knight who, along with his faithful, fearless cat Envelope and his Good Grey Mare, has a really big adventure in each of the books. This time they are taken on a dinosaur adventure, appealing to my youngest son (who is four)  as he adores dinosaurs and was eagerly waiting to share this story.

Our hero’s tale begins with the discovery of a most unusual egg and a quest to return it to Thunder Mountain. Kristina Stephenson is excellent at creating fast moving plots that are filled with twists and turns, conflict and resolutions. She prides herself in writing child-friendly stories that contain characters like witches, wizards, pirates, trolls and mummies but in a non-scary setting.

The Dinosaur’s Return provides readers with plenty of exciting twists that leave you wondering what Charlie will do to get out of the whirlpool, how will he and his friends navigate through the land of enormous things? What cunning plan will the friends concoct with their piece of string!

One of the things we love about these books is their references  to characters, places and useful items (that can often be found in one of my children’s pockets) that have appeared in a previous book. The teacher in me relishes the chance to encourage my children to make references across different texts and I am often amazed at the boys’ ability to remember which stories we have met the witch with watch and where Charlie actually found his very important piece of string.

Kristina illustrates all of her books beautifully. Each page is bright, colourful and overflowing with points for discussion. My boys love to notice things in the pictures and make predictions about the story from what they find. Interestingly, the books also contain giant flaps, which usually enhance a moment of excitement and add another level of interest. We often lie on the floor together to share the story, anticipating what we will see and what will happen when we reveal what is under the flap. Be prepared; you never know which way each flap will open and where it will take your reading.

There are many ways this book can be used in a school setting; from exploring the numerous examples of figurative language found throughout the text,  to looking at how stories develop through changes in setting and the excitement of the conflict and resolutions within the plot. The story offers many ways for children to engage in their own writing: could they write a description of the perfect place? Can they create their own  character with two sidekicks who find themselves on a dinosaur adventure?

Which ever way you choose to use this text, children will love the tale of friendship, bravery and a big adventure to do the right thing.

Find out more about the author here:  http://www.sircharliestinkysocks.co.uk/author/

This book will be published on 7th September.

https://www.egmont.co.uk/books/sir-charlie-stinky-socks-the-dinosaurs-return/9781405268127

Download the free activity resource pack here.