English and Chinese Dinosaur Books for Kids of All Ages!
Dinosaurs are literally all over my house right now, and my kids have been reading English and Chinese dinosaur books everyday! These English and Chinese books are for various ages and reading levels, so I hope you’ll find something here that suits your family! These dinosaur books teach kids science and history facts.
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(If you’re looking for in fictional tales about dinosaurs, many kids enjoy Tatsuya Miyanishi’s Tyrannosaurus Series 7-Book Set.)
I’ll share more details and ISBN information below! For families who are not fluent like me, thankfully some of these books have Mandarin audio narration through Luka Reading Robot, reading pen, or Ximalaya!
This post may have some affiliate links. If you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, I earn a small commission which supports this educational website at no additional cost to you. Please see the disclosure policy for details.
English and Chinese dinosaur books for kids of all ages!
The following dinosaur books are listed in order of difficulty.
1. DK Eye Know Dinosaur Book (Chinese and English)
This gorgeous book is part of the 14-book DK Eye Know series (【DK叢書】EYE KNOW 14本書+新版博士點讀筆) that gives an interactive overview about dinosaurs with flaps of extra information. The vocabulary is relatively straightforward compared to other science books we have.
The full set comes with bilingual Mandarin/English reading pen narrated with children and adult voices plus some background music.
The audio quality of the pen is not as crisp as the LeLe Reading Pen, but it’s still helpful for kids to use independently. While I try to encourage my kids to mainly listen to the Mandarin, the English audio is useful for translating unfamiliar phrases.
Please note that the original English series does not come with a reading pen.
- Where to buy:
- Traditional Chinese with Zhuyin / ISBN:
- English / ISBN: 9780756634391
- Audio narration: Reading pen
Explore this: How I Taught My Child 1000+ Chinese Characters as a Non-Fluent Speaker
2. National Geographic graded readers about dinosaurs (Chinese and English)
These books are meant for children learning to read, but parents can still read them to kids. The font is relatively large and has a predictable layout compared to the other books in this list. The upper corner of each page also features a riddle!
- Where to buy:
- Simplified Chinese / ISBN: 9787558044588
- English / ISBN: 9781426307751
Below is another example of an English graded reader from the I Can Read series. My kids are fascinated by “The Day the Dinosaurs Died“.
Related: Recommended English leveled readers on Amazon
3. National Geographic Little Kids First Big Book of Dinosaurs / 我的第一本美国国家地理恐龙百科 / 國家地理小小恐龍探險家
This popular National Geographic book is a great introduction about dinosaurs. Geared for kids ages 4-8 years, younger toddlers may still enjoy the realistic illustrations.
Dinosaurs are categorized by size, and each dinosaur has a large picture with information including its relative size to human and whether it’s a herbivore, carnivore or omnivore.
In the simplified Chinese version, pinyin is featured throughout, and the English name of the dinosaur is also included. The traditional Chinese version does not have Zhuyin.
The big drawback with most National Geographic books is the difficult to read text against a colorful, distracting background.
- Where to buy:
- Simplified Chinese with Pinyin / ISBN: 9787534276491
- Traditional Chinese / ISBN: 9789865918064
- English / ISBN: 9781426308468
- Audio narration: Ximalaya
4. Visual Encyclopedia of Dinosaurs / 恐龙世界大百科 (Chinese)
This dinosaur book is more advanced and detailed and just the right level for my 6-year-old daughter who reads Chinese chapter books. Although my son is only 3, he loves to talk about the vivid pictures!
Families who rely on Hanyu Pinyin will be happy to know that every character has phonetic support.
- Where to buy:
- Audio narration: Ximalaya
5. Magic School Bus Dinosaur Detectives 与恐龙一起飞翔 (Chinese and English)
Although Magic School Bus is a fictional series, they teach science facts through storytelling. For example, in the dinosaur book, the teacher takes the students on an adventure back in time to learn about dinosaurs.
Good news: the Magic School Bus series is available in simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, and English!
Click on the link below for more details about this series!
6. The Dinosaur Book (English)
Filled to the brim with facts and realistic images, this book is a visual feast for all ages. The level of detail is generally for older kids, but let’s be honest, my husband and I are learning a lot about dinosaurs, too!
- Where to buy:
- English / ISBN: 9781465474766
Similar option in traditional Chinese: check books.com.tw
More dinosaur learning fun for kids
Here are more learning activities for dinosaur lovers!
- How to make a cardboard dinosaur
- Realistic dinosaur toys
- Dinosaur puzzles for various levels
- 4 sets of 12-piece puzzles (Melissa and Doug)
- 48-piece puzzle (Melissa and Doug)
- 60-piece puzzle (Ravensburger)
- 100-piece puzzle (Ravensburger)
- 200-piece puzzle (Ravensburger)
Explore this: Favorite jigsaw puzzles for kids of all ages
Do you have other favorite dinosaur books in Chinese and English?
If you end up reading this book, let me know what you think in the comments below! We’d love to hear about your learning experience with the books you choose! What other books do you recommend we check out?
More Chinese books for kids
- For all book recommendations, explore our favorite Chinese books for kids!
- If you’re wondering where to buy children’s books, click here for the best online Chinese bookstores!