Item: Trygg the Dinosaur
Author: Gina

Trygg the Dinosaur by Paula Louise Salvador | Review, $10 Giveaway, Excerpt

A book blog tour from Goddess Fish Promotions.

Thank you to the author, publisher, and Marianne & Judy at Goddess Fish for providing me with the information for this tour.

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Book Details

Trygg the Dinosaur by Paula Louise Salvador
Published by Tellwell Talent on January 31, 2019
Genres: Animals, Educational, Fiction, Children's, Friendship, Middle-Grade
Format: Audiobook, eBook, Hardcover, Paperback
Pages: 114

Two young dinosaurs from opposite sides of the floodplain bump into each other by chance. He's a small meat-eater, and she's a big plant-eater. They've got no parents, no food, no friends. They're supposed to be enemies, but they decide to stick together instead.

It's not easy. When she gets caught with him, she ends up banished from her herd. He faces a huge rival who could stomp him out with one back foot. They have to outsmart a gang of bullies with sharp teeth and long, curved claws.

And they struggle to survive the natural disasters of drought, mudslides, and a bubbling tar pit. Worst of all, when they lose contact with each other, they fear betrayal. What if their friendship has been broken?

Source: Goddess Fish Promotions, Received from the author or publisher for review.

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Excerpt from Trygg the Dinosaur

His hard work had tired him out, so he sat down in the nest. He was about to fall asleep when he felt the island tremble slightly. It was enough to cause one of the other eggs to slip toward him. He put his mouth around the egg’s pointed end, making sure the sharp tips of his teeth didn’t break through the shell. Then he gently settled it back in the damp ground at his feet. But why was his nest moving like that?

Using his tail for balance, he eased up and peeked over the top of the nest. A rush of cold air hit him in the face just as cawing broke out in the trees overhead. Flocks of birds darted from branch to branch, making loud warning calls. And the ground started to shake so much that he struggled to stay standing.

At the edge of the island, a group of animals leapt out of the shallows. At first, he thought that they were like the birds above him, except they looked too big to be able to fly. Besides, they moved by running with their heads stuck out in front of them. Instead of wings, they had long arms and hands with three fingers—and they had claws.

They were just like him.

The pack swarmed past. A reddish-brown one at the end skidded to a stop. He towered over the nest, and slobber dribbled from his small pointed teeth. “Hey, little Troödon!” he called out, but when he got no reaction, he shook his head in frustration. “I’m talkin’ to YOU!” he said with a growl. “You see any other Troödons alive in that ring of dirt?” The dinosaur glanced nervously over his shoulder. “You’re gonna have to move fast, kid,” he shouted, then he turned to flee.

“Mudslide comin’ through!”

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Purchase Links for Trygg the Dinosaur

Amazon Bookshop/IndieBound

Kobo AppleBooks/iTunes The Book Depository

Waterstones Chapters/Indigo

Smashwords The Wordery

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My thoughts on Trygg the Dinosaur

A gentle story with valuable lessons.

Trygg, the Dinosaur, is an orphan. When he meets fellow orphan Alta from a different tribe, they should be sworn enemies, but instead, they look out for one another.

The story provides many talking points for the reader to open discussions with children about valuable life lessons. Naturally, not all at once to avoid overwhelm, but as this is a book children will want to read over and over, you could pick a lesson a week. Alta has a disability, Trygg is smaller than most of his species, yet they learn to cooperate for survival.

Another important lesson is not to judge anyone by their looks. Each character has strengths, as well as weaknesses. By working together, they make life better for both.

The illustrations by John Bindon are exceptionally well-drawn. They help bring the story to life before your eyes.

While Trygg the Dinosaur is aimed at middle-grade readers, younger and older readers will also enjoy this tale.

Grab a copy for your young reader today, or make it a family read-along with a chapter a night. There are important life lessons for all ages.

I received a copy of the book for the tour. This review is my honest, unbiased opinion.

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I read as many books as possible through the Amazon Kindle Unlimited program.

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About Paula Louise Salvador

Paula Louise Salvador has had great adventures as a documentary filmmaker and writer. The scariest was when she stood under the ribs of a Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton. The most fun was filming dinosaur dig-sites from a helicopter. On the dangerous side, she had to dodge alligators in Mississippi.

Paula has met fascinating people, particularly jazz legend Oscar Peterson and composer Philip Glass, who performed in her show on electronic music. In “BUILD GREEN” for the CBC’s “THE NATURE OF THINGS”, Paula and David Suzuki visited rock star Randy Bachman’s super sustainable house.

Finally, it was a tiny dinosaur that captured Paula’s heart. For her documentary “DINOSAUR BABIES: THE NORTH AMERICAN STORY” (available on Amazon Video), Paula held the fossilized egg of a little Troödon. He was curled up inside, just about to hatch. That’s where Paula’s story of Trygg begins.

Paula has a Masters in French Literature from l’Université de Provence, France, and a Bachelor of Arts (including Children’s Literature) from McGill University, Canada.

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