The Girl and the Dinosaur

Young Mariannne, resident of a seaside town, spends her time digging on the beach in the hope of finding a dinosaur, while the fisherfolk worry about her lack of young friends.

Her determination and hard work pay off and eventually she’s able to assemble a dinosaur skeleton (shades of Mary Anning perhaps). This she decides is her best friend, and aptly names it Bony.

Back home in bed that night Marianne makes a special wish, ‘With all my heart I make a wish, / and dream it will come true, / for stony bones to come to life / and find me when they do.’

Seemingly her wish is granted for beneath the stars her dinosaur (now fully formed) awaits to transport her on a dreamtime adventure. An adventure wherein girl and bony friend swim in the sea, flash through the forest accompanied by fairies, past unicorns and giants to a magical moonlit island filled with frolicking children and their dream dinosaurs – a land of infinite possibilities. But children keep secrets, so the magic of the night will remain just that – a wonderful magical nocturnal secret.

Told in rhyme that reads well aloud and accompanied by atmospheric scenes of the red-haired protagonist and her nocturnal foray, this is a seaside adventure with a difference to delight dreamers and dinosaur enthusiasts especially.