"Rhythmic prose and great use of sound words (Clatter! Sploosh! Thump!) combine to make Dinosaur Dig a delight to read aloud, whilst boasting big appeal for any kid who likes dinosaurs or diggers or a combination of both! "
Kids Book Review

Combining two of many boys’ greatest pleasures—dinosaurs and vehicles—this picture book roars with speed as well as fun. Detailed yet playful double-page spreads also introduce colors via different-hued dinosaurs operating a variety of vehicles. The action-packed text (“Green dinosaur rattling. / Rattling down the hill. / Down the hill with a heavy load. / Chug! Chug! Chug!”) describes each creature’s journey through deserts, mountains, mud, etc. Astute readers will notice wrapped packages in each vehicle and guess where the dinosaurs are heading. Once they arrive at a forest, the dinosaurs hurry to set up the festivities for a surprise birthday party, using one more vehicle, a crane truck, to move and place a three-tiered cake. And isn’t that the birthday boy approaching in a sporty convertible? Packed with fairly realstic dinosaurs, balloons, streamers, and treats, the party scenes are a real delight. Children can extend the entertainment by using the endpapers to identify each dinosaur and vehicle. — Angela Leeper
Booklist Online

This gleeful mashup of dinosaurs and things-that-go will surely rev up some noisy participation when it is read aloud.

Dale returns with rhythmic text and vibrant watercolor-and-ink illustrations in her second dino romp (Dinosaur Dig, 2011). A first glimpse of the cover featuring a fiery-hued dinosaur behind the wheel of a blue convertible hurtling at great speed through the desert establishes that this is not your typical dino book. The beginning of the book sets a pattern in which a particular-colored dinosaur steers a certain vehicle in a specific terrain on their way to a big event. An Ankylosaurus drives a minivan, a Stegosaurus pilots an old pickup truck, and so on. (Interestingly, Welsh artist Dale mounts some steering wheels on the right and some on the left of the various cars.) Children will have fun spotting the various presents tucked away on these pages, building a little suspense and foreshadowing the party to come. The language rumbles along with sound effects: “Green dinosaur rattling. Rattling down the hill. Down the hill with a heavy load. Chug! Chug! Chug!” Soon, almost all have arrived to unload and decorate. They are “hurrying to get readyÉ.Quick! Quick! Quick!” Once all that is done, the group hides in the trees to surprise the littlest dinosaur for his birthday. Readers will be tickled to learn that dinosaurs appear to like pizza, cookies and cake, just as they do.

From start to finish, this cleverly constructed and well-designed title is a winner. (Picture book. 3-6)
Kirkus Review

Ten dinosaurs drive a variety of vehicles from the desert up the mountain, each carrying presents for a special event. Young readers who love these creatures will find their favorites: T rex, Triceratops, and Allosaurus, and also a few new ones­Styacosaurus and Carnotaurus. Each page presents dinosaurs bumping, jumping, skidding, reversing, hurrying, hiding­getting ready. Watercolor cartoons brighten each spread, large text alerts readers to the color of each dinosaur as it drives through changing land and weather, and onomatopoeia and a wealth of exclamation points dramatize the sound of vehicles in a race to reach a forested mountainside. Some illustrations provide a few surprises­a cake large enough for a wood pallet, balloons filling the trees, and packages peeking from each vehicle, but the birthday-party ending is a predictable scenario. This is a busy book, introducing dinosaurs, vehicles, colors, weather, landforms, and word use. A general purchase for most libraries.­Mary Elam, Learning Media Services, Plano, ISD, TX
School Library Journal

"Penny Dale has taken the ingenious decision to go the whole hog - or brontosaurus - here by combining outrageous dinosaurs with assorted heavy goods vehicles, sports cars, tractors and the like. For the prehistoric speed freak, this is a roaring delight."
The Guardian

"Penny Dale has a new slant on ever-popular prehistoric animals in her picture book Dinosaur Zoom! Whether driving a blue convertible through the desert or reversing a lorry into the woods, these dinosaurs practically leap from the page."
The Independent

"Little boys love dinosaurs. Little boys love trucks. Put the two together in the worryingly appealing Dinosaur Zoom! and you have the recipe for a night-time battle over bedtime stories. Resign yourself to reading the same book over and over again for the next two years - and make sure it's a girl next time."
The Telegraph

"Zoomin marvellous...Penny Dale'spicture is a rollocking dinosaur centric ride."
We Love This Book

"A perfect mix of dinosaurs and trucks, lots of movement and action in the illustrations, and fun rhythmic text ... All children's libraries should have this one, it's a keeper!"
Youth Services Book Review

"This book is a pleasure for the eyes and a perfect read aloud for any small child up to age seven."
Portland Book Review

"Ten industrious dinosaurs work hard to make a swimming pool together, using a variety of construction vehicles in this fun and original counting book full of loud noises...this book will also appeal to girls with its bright colours and humourous detail of dinosaurs squeezing into diggers, drinking cups of tea and having fun together."
Booktrust

"Bright busy pictures full of detail will capture children's attention as they enjoy this romp through a digging project."
Parents in Touch

"A perfect picture book. Let me count the ways: Dinosaurs - tick; Diggers - tick; counting - tick; proper story - tick. And here's the bonus point: endpapers where the front one gives all the dinosaurs their proper names and the back one all the diggers"

Maven