Tom Fletcher & Dougie Poynter - The Dinosaur That Pooped Christmas

It's going to be a bit of time until my next review and I thought I'd really mix it up yet again with a kids' book written by two members of McFly; I know it's random but I used to love McFly when I was a teenager and thought it was amazing that two of them wrote a kids' book. My friends thought it was childish but I didn't care, everyone needs to let out that inner child and give in to reading kids' books; they are simple, easy to read and for the most part funny if the reader can indulge themselves in the words.

This is going to be a short review with it being such a short story and even though it's not as long, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.

Rating: 9

Recommended To: Good for kids and anyone else who can handle the content

Favourite Characters: Santy C - who doesn't love jolly old Saint Nick

Favourite Part: So big Santy C said, "I'll leave a present, but this year his present might just be unpleasant". - Page 4

Good Points: The illustrations; the writing style and story; the lesson

Bad Points: Slightly gross

The Dinosaur that Pooped Christmas is about Danny, a greedy little boy, who asks Santa Claus for more toys than he could keep in his room. Santa Claus, as he stands on Danny's roof, takes it upon himself to teach this little boy a lesson by giving him a big greedy dinosaur that eats everything in sight in Danny's house, including all of the Christmas presents and decorations.

Though neither Fletcher nor Poynter illustrated this book, this was done by Garry Parsons and I loved them; they are well done and extremely detailed, down to the multiple toys surrounding Danny's bed and the pictures on the stairs behind him as he runs to see what Santa has left him. The way the dinosaur is drawn is extremely comical and not scary meaning that it won't traumatise any (or least most) children. The colours were amazing as well, drawing the eye to the main focus of the page (such as the dinosaur in the snow) which is great for kids as they could become distracted if too many things were brightly coloured.

I adored the way the story was written and how simple it was to read; the rhymes and rhyming pattern are effective and engaging. Fletcher and Poynter clearly know how to write for kids with their writing style, from rhyming (which engages them in) to onomatopoeia (words that sound like the sound [CRACK, SNAP]).

As well as the writing style, the story is entertaining with a dinosaur running rampage in a little boy's house, a scenario that can be dreamt up in the mind of any child, and the results are non-threatening, ensuring that kids won't be scared by it, yet they can learn a lesson which is the point of a book aimed at children. The humour of the authors comes across appeals to not just children but adults as well, creating multiple laughs among the generations.

The lesson that comes from this story, that kids shouldn't be so greedy at Christmas time, is an excellent one because as a stereotype, kids can ask for a ridiculous amount of presents from Santa Claus (Mum & Dad) despite the fact they can already have a lot or even ask for something really absurd (a unicorn for example); I know I did when I was young. Even though some parents try to give the children as much as they can, they can't give them everything much to their children's disappointment but at least they didn't get a dinosaur that nearly destroyed Christmas.

Santa Claus/Saint Nick/Kris Kringle is definitely my favourite character because he is the lesson provider for Danny, acting as his mentor, and ensures Danny sees the error of his ways. Who doesn't love jolly old Saint Nick?

This is kind of obvious but one thing that can deter someone from reading this book is that it is just the slightest bit gross but like I wrote, kind of obvious, it's about a dinosaur that poops Christmas. This is not a book for those squeamish about bodily functions but for anyone else, I highly recommend it.

So big Santy C said, "I'll leave a present, but this year his present might just be unpleasant". - Page 4

I loved this bit because it shows that Santa Claus isn't just a gift-giver which is how he is perceived nowadays with children getting mobile phones and big, fancy Playstations or whatever else they want, he teaches children right and wrong when they've been naughty or nice. Thank Santy C, you've taught me a lesson; be good or get a greedy dinosaur (or something to that effect).

Don't scoff because it's written by two members of McFly, the book is well written, with a simple linear story that won't confuse a child but keeps them engaged, and drawn beautifully and though not illustrated by Tom or Dougie, is entertaining and can keep the attention of any child for the length of the book I would say, or least most of the time. When I have kids, this is one book that will make an appearance at Christmas at least; I don't care what anyone says.