Today, I am reviewing a picture book that surprised me – in a good way! The Dinosaur Who Lost Her Voice by Julie Ballard & Francesca Gambatesa celebrates the Ability in dis(Ability).
Milly Jo has a lovely singing voice, but during a terrible storm a tree falls on top of Milly and she loses her voice.
When I read this book to my little girl for the first time, I (wrongly) assumed that after a [insert the child-friendly equivalent of Lemsip] Milly’s sore throat would be soothed and her voice would return. But NO! Milly has lost her voice permanently.
Milly is faced with a new reality. She has lost her ability to sing. And soon discovers that singing doesn’t come naturally to her friends. But rather than let her new situation overwhelm her, Milly takes on the challenge. She embraces all of her talents and with the help of her friends, music returns to the wild and prehistoric woods.
My daughter said she was sad Milly lost her voice and Milly was sad too. But as we read on, she delighted in seeing happiness return to the dinosaurs as Milly Jo showed she could still do amazing things, but in a different way. I love that The Dinosaur Who Lost Her Voice celebrates the Ability in dis(Ability) through a lovely rhyming story. This would be a great book to share in classrooms as well as at home, to open up discussions on disability, obstacles and the challenges people can face, and overcome.
Publisher: Egmont
Publication date: 27 June 2019
ISBN: 978-1405287968
I am very grateful to the author for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book. This voluntary review contains my honest opinion.
Picture Book Perfect 
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