Hello Roara!

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Story by Tamara Forge
Created by Josh & Marley Dechant
Josh Dechant 2015
Reviewed copy kindly provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Hello Roara!
is the rhyming story  of a big, friendly dinosaur who's confused as to why the other creatures flee when she smiles and wags her tail. Roara doesn't realise that her carnivore teeth, boulder-breaking tail wags and booming voice are, just a tad, intimidating. Thankfully, a brave little shrew has a word in her ear and Roara then realizes that, a gentle voice and a better mannered tail are the keys to success.

Introducing Roara, the tyrannosaurus rex 

More from Missus B:
'Hello Roara' is a delightful little read. I'm always attracted to rhyming stories-with little effort, they help children to: develop memory skills, recognize sound patterns and fine-tune their auditory learning skills. Their repetition and predictability invite children to join in, turning 'story time' into a shared group activity that  develops confidence and self-esteem, while creating a lovely sense of togetherness.

'Hello Roara' helps children to think about social behaviour. Roara wants to make friends but her approach just doesn't seem to be working. She may be smiling, but her loud voice and reckless tail mean that others are afraid. Fortunately, the brave little Shrew decides to reach out and give some advice. 

One of my favourite images within the story...love this close up of Roara and Shrew.

Importantly, Roara realises that it's not her the others are frightened of, but her behaviour: "It isn't me they're scared of...It's my roar? I wish I knew!" Roara then uses a softer voice and learns to be careful with her tail, making sure it doesn't 'bound about or flail.'

The illustrations are beautifully rich and colourful, with a lovely contrast between the green outdoors and the darkness of Roara's cave. Other characters include Terra the Pteranadon and Skiff the Styracosaurus. At the back of the book there's a fact page from Skiff which shares lots of interesting information about the tyrannosaurus rex. My little man is on the cusp of dinosaur love and while he is too young to understand this story (he is not yet 2), he was really attracted to the colourful characters and their expressive faces.

The large, white text is clear and easy to read with some or Roara's statements printed in capitals to emphasize her loud voice (nice for group story time) The story's rhythm makes for a satisfying read while the vocabulary and phrases offer an enriching language experience e.g 'Potential pals go running'  because Roara has a roar 'that fuels the others fears'. I love when a story offers opportunities to discuss the meaning of new words and phrases.

Overall, Hello Roara!is a delightful story with colourful characters, important messages about social behaviour and cheerful rhyming text. A lovely read and a definite must for those little dinosaur fanatics out there!

Book available at the below affiliate links:
     
Check out www.roarastory.com to see how the book was developed, access colouring pages and to read a digital version.

So, what is it with the 'dinosaur love' that's so common in childhood?! I like these links from the guardian: Why our fascination with dinosaurs is important and other dinosaur articles .

Happy reading,
Missus B.