The Grateful Green Dinosaur Book Review

Author: Larissa Pemberton

Illustrator: Jupiters Muse

Publisher: Tellwell Talent

Released: June 30, 2025

Format: Hard Cover, Paperback

Price: Hard Cover $22.00, Paperback $19.00

Genre: Children’s Picture Books

Age Range: Author recommends Baby-12 years

ISBN: 978-0228829805

Page Count: 26 pages

Reviewer: Ellwyn Autumn

Rating:   3 1/2 Lemon Drops

Available on Amazon

A little positivity goes a long way!

I received a complimentary copy of the book from the author and agreed to give an honest review.

Favorite quote from the book:

“See, thinking of things you are grateful for and love makes you feel good.” 

Review:

Book Summary: 

Percy the dinosaur is having a bad day!

The story starts as Percy stubs his toe. This jarring event sets his grumpy mood for the day and causes a negative mindset that attracts more bad luck.

Percy’s friend, the cheerful unicorn Custard, helps him to see things differently. After validating Percy’s feelings, Custard shows the little dinosaur how to express gratitude for the good things in his life rather than dwelling on the negative.

Percy is much happier in the end because he accepts this belief system.

Opinion:

The Grateful Green Dinosaur teaches children to express and reflect on their feelings in a productive way that leads to a healthy mindset full of gratitude.

The story follows the main character as he navigates through a bad morning that gets worse with his sour mood. From a stubbed toe, to burnt toast and a rainy playdate, Percy shows that sometimes things don’t always go the way we planned.

Through Custard’s example, children will learn to empathize with Percy’s plight and understand that his grumpy reaction doesn’t have to be permanent. People can choose to be happy by changing their attitude and focusing on the positive things in their life.

I appreciated the story’s upbeat theme and the expressions of gratitude the characters shared. Percy and Custard model the virtues of true friendship and empathy.

The illustrations by Jupiter’s Muse are warm and perfectly capture the characters’ feelings.

My one small issue: some parts of the text could be more concise. Example: “exclaims Percy to Custard.” This voice tag is cumbersome, and it’s unnecessary, because Percy and Custard are the only two prominent characters in the story. Some of Custard’s dialogue also came across as very adult. The message was on point but lacked a kid-friendly vibe.

I give it 3 1/2 Lemon Drops!

Classroom Connection:

The Grateful Green Dragon is ideal for teaching gratitude, mindfulness, and feelings. After a read aloud children could make a list of things they’re grateful for.

Age Range: 3-7 years

Targeted Vocabulary:

Grateful, determine, circumstance, frustrated, mood, dwelling, stomps, unhappy, complain, valid, negative, grateful, encourage, sad, angry

Resources: Click the image to access the Pinterest Board with the resources.

About The Author:

Larissa is a devoted mother to three young boys. Her path of self-discovery, shaped by the challenges and joys of motherhood—led her to discovering and embracing the life changing practice of gratitude.

By incorporating it into her daily routine, she experienced a profound shift in her mental health and overall happiness. Now, Larissa is passionate in sharing this practice with her sons and other children, believing that learning gratitude at a young age can set the foundation for a life guided by joy and emotional resilience.

Website: https://thegratefulgreendinosaur.com/ 

Instagram: @thegratefulgreendinosaur

Amazon listing: https://amazon.com/dp/0228829798

About the Illustrator:

JuMu Creative is an established, award winning studio, offering expert level branding, graphic design, logos, children's book illustrations and more.