Book Review:
"Hey! What Do You Do
With A Dinosaur?"



Book Review ...

'Hey! What Do You Do With A Dinosaur?' The true story of a dinosaur in New Mexico, the San Ysidro Dinosaur, near Albuquerque New Mexico, by Will Johnstone, Artist

The following review is reprinted by permission from "Tumbleweeds," The Quarterly Newspaper for Santa Fe Families, Winter 2017-2018 - December, January February - published by Claudette E. Sutton, Santa Fe, NM.

Hey! What Do You Do With A Dinosaur?
Written and illustrated by William I. Johnstone
Published by the author (1978)

"Today, we are going to try to find my dinosaur."

    So begins Hey! What Do You Do With A Dinosaur, written and illustrated by William I. Johnstone.
    This delightful story follows Bill (the author), his wife Marsha, and their two sons Marcus and Donald, as they search for dinosaur fossil bones that Bill found, and forgot, when he was a child. Will they be able to find them again? What will they do with them if they do? They pack the back of the car with bags and rock hammers and set out for the spot where Bill found the dinosaur with his grandfather when he was a boy.
    The Johnstone family adventures take place in the American Southwest near the town of San Ysidro, New Mexico, though the full story of the dinosaur bones and how they were buried and found spans millions of years of the earth's history.
    Along the way are lessons in natural history and geology, with helpful photos and illustrations. During the course of their discovery, the Johnstone family faces moral decisions and makes life-affirming choices. Johnstone captures the quality of family time well spent together with his prose and artwork. Adults and children through mid-elementary school will enjoy this wonderful book.
    "Hey! What Do You Do With A Dinosaur?" is not a new book - it was published in 1978 - but is still timely and will delight children and adults with an interest in paleontology and the Southwest. It is available through the authors website, www.willjohnstone.com, at select local bookstores, and at the New Mexico Natural History Museum in Albuquerque.

        -- Charles Brunn
        -- Winter 2017 - 2018 Tumbleweeds