DJ Terry's Rocking Remix

Terry the T. Rex is jealous of all his dinosaur mates and their musical talents. They make beautiful sounds on a wide range of instruments. But Terry cannot find an instrument to suit his particular body shape.

The story opens with a simple explanation of different dinosaurs and their daily routines. The narrative is in a rhythmic rhyming format, making it fun to read aloud. Some dinosaurs ‘laze and graze’ while others ‘stomp and chomp’.

With the daily routines out of the way, the dinosaurs have the nights to express their musical creativity but Terry’s short arms limit his possibilities. His friends make not-so-helpful suggestions like try the harp, but Terry can only pluck the two strings closest to his body. Terry’s dream to make music seems an impossibility, until he thinks through the problem logically, rushes to the music shop and finds the instrument that’s perfect for him.

As a school librarian, I would love it to be in larger, portrait format as the landscape format means it might get ‘lost’ in the collection. With a different title and cover illustration, this book could have worked well as a problem for the reader to figure out.

This is a heartwarming and amusing tale of perseverance and creativity.