The Great Dinosaur Sleepover

When Jake's birthday party suddenly gets cancelled because his friends are sick, he is devastated. But he wakes up in the middle of the night to a gaggle of dinosaurs who want to give him a birthday party he'll never forget!

A sweet message about the importance of including others was a nice touch and readers young and old will enjoy finding the hidden T-Rex on many of the pages.

Fantastic illustrations by Joh Bluhm give the dinosaurs and engaging look and the cartoonish vibe of the humans and their facial expressions brought humour to this charming story that is filled with themes of friendship, adventure, and not judging a dino (or person) before you get to know them.

Disclaimer: My sincere thanks to Tundra Books and Tandem Collective Global for this book (and the cool dino party pack) that were given in exchange for my honest review.

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Author: Linda Bailey

Illustrator: Joe Bluhm

Genre: Picture book, Fantasy Fun, Canadian

Type and Source: Hardcover from Tandem Collective Global

Publisher: Tundra

First Published: 

Read: April 16, 2025

Book Description from GoodReads: A young boy's disappointing birthday party gets turned upside down with a blast from the prehistoric past in this hilarious, dino-mite picture book adventure.

Jake loves dinosaurs, so with his birthday coming up, he knows just what kind of party he wants — a dinosaur sleepover! Dino games, dino balloons, dino cake. Dino everything! But when the big day arrives, his friends all come down with the flu, and the party seems to be on the edge of extinction.

Then, in the middle of the night, Jake hears a strange noise and goes to investigate. To his surprise, he finds some prehistoric party guests right there in his living room! They've invited themselves in to make sure Jake has a birthday he'll never forget —just don't tell the T-Rex!

An unforgettable birthday tale with huge laughs and heart, this newest picture book from acclaimed author Linda Bailey celebrates friendship, inclusion and fun – and is brought to life with magnificent, cinematic artwork from award-winning animation director and illustrator Joe Bluhm.