Midwesty Review: Kansan Lindsey Yankey's picture book illustrations shine in The Dinosaur Seed

If you're looking for an imaginative picture book to kick off your kids' summer reading, check out The Dinosaur Seed by Lindsey Yankey, new in late May 2025. Thank you to Beaming Books for sending a copy so that I could review it. Read on for my full thoughts on The Dinosaur Seed and why parents and kids will love it: 

Who wrote The Dinosaur Seed?

The Dinosaur Seed is written and illustrated by Lindsey Yankey, who is an experienced author and illustrator from Kansas also known for her other books, including Sun & Moon and Bluebird, both award-winning picture books with stunning illustrations. I love her dreamy, colorful style, and her talents really bring The Dinosaur Seed to life. You can learn more about Yankey and her books on her official author website. 

The Dinosaur Seed is published by Beaming Books, and imprint of Augsburg Fortress.

Our review of The Dinosaur Seed

In The Dinosaur Seed, a group of kids on a playground find a mysterious rock that they decide is actually a "dinosaur seed". They let their imaginations take the lead and have a great time playing together in increasingly complicated imaginary scenarios and including an initially reluctant playmate. Yankey's vibrant illustrations bring so much to the story, and it wouldn't be the same without her talents there. 

My kids liked the book, especially my 8-year-old. "That was a wild adventure!" she said and added that she thought other readers her age would enjoy it too. She was very engaged the entire time and really wanted to see what happened next. 

It was a bit long for my 3-year-old, but she enjoyed the pictures. I think it was a bit confusing to her what was supposed to be literally happening and what was supposed to be imagined, but that's to be expected for that age. I definitely feel like for older preschoolers and for early elementary age students, the book would be a great jumping-off point for discussing that aspect of literature and life: how do you know what's supposed to be real and what's supposed to be imagination, and what clues can you look for to help you decide?

My personal favorite part was when the grandpa joined in the fun. I thought that was really sweet but also really relatable. I feel like while playing with your grandpa is a really common kid experience and my kids are lucky to have two active young grandpas that do play energetically with them, that's not a dynamic that is necessarily very often depicted in stories.

  

Overall, I think it's a fun book to read anytime to kids for fun and to encourage them to go play and use their imaginations, and I didn't notice anything even remotely controversial or negative about it. I also specifically would recommend it to homeschooling families and classroom teachers who want to explore that language arts concept of determining what's literal and what's imaginary within a written work. 

The Dinosaur Seed is available beginning May 20th, 2025, at Book People and other brick & mortar bookstores around the Midwest and beyond, and from your favorite online booksellers including (affiliate link): The Dinosaur Seed on Amazon.com