Digging for Dinosaurs

Judy Waite pitches this Flying Foxes chapter book perfectly for young readers just stepping beyond picture books. Young Dan reluctantly visits a museum and notices the T. rex skeleton is missing a tooth — a tooth that looks suspiciously like the stone his dog has been fetching. It is a small, satisfying mystery, and the detective hook gives early readers a reason to care what happens next. Garry Parsons' illustrations are lively and supportive. The caveat is simple: this book is very short, and more capable readers will finish it in one sitting and want more. The UK publishing context (Red Fox/Flying Foxes) may also be less familiar to American families, though the story itself travels just fine.