“The Great Dinosaur Sleepover” by Linda Bailey: A Humorous and Heartwarming Children’s Book for Every Dinophile

For families who have experienced a birthday party that does not go according to plan, stories about imagination, resilience, and the joy of unexpected surprises feel especially meaningful. They remind children that even when things do not go as planned, something wonderful can still unfold. Award-winning Canadian author Linda Bailey brings this spirit to life in The Great Dinosaur Sleepover, illustrated by Joe Bluhm. This lively picture book blends humour with heartfelt moments as it explores disappointment, flexibility, and inclusion. In this story, a birthday celebration takes an unforgettable turn when unexpected prehistoric guests arrive. Keep reading for our exclusive interview with Linda Bailey.

Parents and educators will appreciate the way The Great Dinosaur Sleepover gently explores big emotions such as disappointment and adaptability in a way that feels accessible and fun for young children. Jake, the story’s protagonist, mirrors real-life situations many children face, helping them build emotional resilience while also celebrating imagination and kindness. For young dinophiles, the unexpected arrival of dinosaurs adds an extra layer of excitement and wonder to the story. As part of the Forest of Reading, The Great Dinosaur Sleepover is nominated for the 2026 Blue Spruce Award™, designed for primary grades of JK to Grade 2. Teachers on Call’s online and in-person science tutors value this story for the way it sparks curiosity and connects naturally to early science learning, including topics such as dinosaurs, fossils, and the natural world. Through both scientific curiosity and social-emotional learning, this story invites young readers to see unexpected situations as opportunities for growth and discovery.

Celebrating Canadian Books Through the Forest of Reading

The Forest of Reading is Canada’s largest recreational reading program, inspiring children and teens nationwide to engage with outstanding Canadian literature. Organized by the Ontario Library Association, the program highlights a wide range of award categories in both English and French, recognizing authors and illustrators across age groups. A defining feature of the program is its student voting process, where young readers across Canada choose their favourite books each year. The excitement culminates at the Forest of Reading Festival in Toronto’s Harbourfront Centre (235 Queens Quay West, Toronto, ON M5J 2G8), where students, educators, and authors gather to celebrate reading together. At Teachers on Call, we are proud to support programs that empower students to develop a love of literacy while giving them a voice in recognizing great storytelling.

About the Author

Linda Bailey is an award-winning Canadian author who has written more than thirty-five books for children, spanning picture books, early readers, and middle-grade novels. Born and raised in Winnipeg, Manitoba, she developed a love of storytelling early on that would shape her future career. Before becoming a full-time writer, she travelled extensively and worked in a variety of roles, including teacher, editor, and travel agent. She later earned both a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Education from the University of British Columbia (6200 University Blvd, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4). Linda’s books are known for their humour, imagination, and emotional depth, and many have received notable literary recognition. She now lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, where she continues to create engaging stories for young readers.

About the Book

The Great Dinosaur Sleepover follows Jake, a young dinosaur enthusiast who plans the ultimate dino-themed birthday party. When illness keeps his friends away, Jake’s celebration seems ruined. But in the middle of the night, an unexpected group of prehistoric visitors arrives, turning his disappointment into an unforgettable adventure filled with laughter, surprises, and heart. CBC added The Great Dinosaur Sleepover to a list of the most popular Canadian books.

Read Our Exclusive Interview With Linda Bailey

The Great Dinosaur Sleepover is such a fun and imaginative idea. What first sparked the inspiration for a dinosaur-themed birthday party that takes such an unexpected turn?

The initial spark was — I thought there might be kids who are looking for this book. Over the years, visiting schools, I’ve met many versions of a certain kind of kid — the kind you might call a “dinophile.” Most kids like dinosaurs, of course, but some kids take it further. Some kids live, breathe, talk, read and dream about the great beasts! Those kids fascinated me, especially because I seem to be evolving into a late-blooming “dinophile” myself. (The breakthroughs in paleontology over the past few decades have been amazing!) So one day I was thinking about those young dino-lovers, and I wondered what they would want if they had all the choices in the world. The answer seemed obvious. Their dream-come-true would be to actually MEET some real ancient dinosaurs — in the flesh! That’s how this book started . . .

Jake’s disappointment when his friends cannot come to his party is very relatable. Why was it important for you to include this emotional moment in the story?

I actually thought about that mostly in terms of story. It makes a better story if Jake starts out feeling despondent — and then things start to improve. But yes, disappointment is very hard for all of us, and especially for kids. We all have to find ways to deal with it and move on. In Jake’s case, his expectations for his birthday party reach an enormous high — and then they suddenly and horribly crash! But as the story shows, it's possible to come back from an awful crash as life takes you in a new and different direction. Jake doesn’t get the party he planned. But he ends up getting a party that’s beyond his wildest dreams.

The Great Dinosaur Sleepover celebrates friendship and inclusion in a unique way. What do you hope young readers learn about making the best of unexpected situations?

Yes, there are unexpected social situations in this story. Jake doesn’t expect dinosaurs in his living room, but when they show up, he’s flexible enough to become a generous host. The dinosaurs, for their part, try hard to fit in with the peculiar (to them) rituals of a human birthday party, and when they make mistakes, Jake doesn’t mind. Everyone in this story is kind.

Except perhaps for the T-Rex! The T-Rex is the truly unexpected element, of course. She has not been invited, for the very good reason that she is likely to EAT the other guests. So in this situation, the T. Rex is the classic unpopular “bully” — except that she truly does want to be part of the fun. I decided that Jake should be the one to notice the sad look on her face and realize how disappointed she feels. He is the one who invites her to join the party.

Dinosaurs are always a favourite topic for children. What is it about dinosaurs that you think continues to capture young imaginations?

That’s a great question. I think it’s mostly because dinosaurs LOOK so strange and extreme. Some are enormous — bigger than anything we've ever seen! Others are terrifying to look at. And many are just plain wacky — at least to us — with their bizarre shapes and features. Nothing we’ve ever seen can match them physically for drama!

But there’s also the fact (if kids know it) that dinosaurs quite literally ruled the earth for 165 million years. We struggle to even imagine a time span that long! And yet their fossils are still here — under our earth, around the world, and being slowly dug up so that we learn more about them every year.

The illustrations feel very lively and cinematic. What was it like collaborating with Joe Bluhm, and how did the artwork shape the storytelling?

Yes, the illustrations are wonderfully lively and cinematic! That’s not surprising because Joe is also an accomplished animator whose work has earned major film awards. As for collaboration, the truth is that authors and illustrators of picture books don’t usually collaborate directly. What happens is — an author writes a manuscript and sends it to a publisher. If the publisher accepts it, then they choose an illustrator. After that, there’s a creative team that includes the author, the illustrator, the editor, the designer and more. It’s a group effort, and the author and illustrator may never actually meet.

As the book develops, however, both author and illustrator DO constantly see the evolving “roughs,” with lots of opportunities to make changes. For example, there were surprises that showed up in Joe’s rough art that made me want to change my text to match his (fabulous!) pictures. Note: I feel extremely lucky to have had Joe Bluhm as my co-creator. He brought this party to vivid, colorful life!

How can teachers use The Great Dinosaur Sleepover in the classroom to spark creativity, storytelling, or discussions about resilience?

Well, all I can tell you is how I spark creativity and storytelling for myself. When I think about creating a story, the main driver to me is always the “What if?” question. For me, those words are the key to unlocking a story, and I ask them again and again. "What if a kid planned a dinosaur birthday party? What if it got cancelled? What if he was broken-hearted? What if something amazing happened to make the party even better? Like — oh wow! — what if REAL DINOSAURS turned up?” Once I start asking what-if, more what-ifs generally follow, along with plenty of what-happens-nexts. It’s almost as if I am asking my subconscious mind for help.

As for resilience, I guess some excellent questions might be the ones that teachers already ask. “How would you feel if this was happening to you?" "What would you do?"

If you could plan your own dinosaur sleepover, which dinosaurs would you invite and what activities would be on the schedule?

Ha ha! I think I did plan my own dinosaur sleepover in this book because I always relate strongly to the main character — and as I write, I do feel as if the story is happening to me. But of course, I’m not six years old. So as an adult, I think I might spend a lot of time quizzing those dinosaurs and finding out everything I could about their long-lost world.

As for which dinosaurs I would invite? Probably the same ones I already invited. I chose the first three (dryosaurus, leptoceratops and pachycephalosaurus) because they were the right size to fit on a couch. They also had to be “vegetarians” who wouldn’t eat Jake. The next three dinosaurs were huge but still vegetarian (stegosaurus, triceratops and apatosaurus). The only carnivore in the story is the T. Rex — who is seriously outnumbered by the herbivores and therefore has to behave herself!

Many of your books have a strong sense of humour. What makes you laugh when you are writing for young readers?

Thank you! For me, lots of the humour I write comes out of “things going wrong." In this book, for example, the dinosaurs know nothing about a human birthday party — but the child reader will be an expert. So when the dinosaurs sing “Happy birthday!” without knowing the words, or when one of them naively eats ALL the birthday cake, the child reader will recognize these mistakes and have fun with them.

Another source of humour can be a “secret" that the reader is in on, but the characters are not. In this book, that happens with the T. Rex. For most of the book, she doesn’t reveal herself to the other dinosaurs. She just follows them around town, hiding in the background. But of course, the reader will spot her very quickly — and laugh! So there is a “Where is the T. Rex?" joke going on, without words, through much of this book.

On a more personal note, is there a favourite place in Canada where you like to write or feel especially inspired?

Actually, yes, there was a place that helped to inspire this book. Alberta! Southern Alberta is one of the world’s great "dinosaur lands” — and definitely one of the most important sources of dinosaur fossils on the planet. Dinosaur Provincial Park (located 2 hours east from Calgary in the Red Deer River valley,) is there, and the Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology (1500 N Dinosaur Trail, Drumheller, AB T0J 0Y0) in Drumheller, just 110 km (68 mi) northeast from Calgary (about 1 hr 30 min drive) and 280 km (174 mi) south of Edmonton (about 3 hours drive), is both spectacular and awe-inspiring. Anyone looking for an exciting holiday with kids in Canada should definitely consider southern Alberta, which also has buffalo jumps, hoodoos and more. Note: I have visited three times and have now written four dinosaur books. (I think there may be a connection!)

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In The Great Dinosaur Sleepover, Linda Bailey delivers a story that is as entertaining as it is meaningful, reminding young readers that sometimes the best moments come from unexpected changes. With its blend of humour, imagination, and heartfelt lessons, this book is sure to become a favourite in homes and classrooms alike. Do you have a dinosaur enthusiast in your life? Research has shown that a strong interest in topics like dinosaurs can support children’s learning, persistence, and confidence, making it something worth celebrating and encouraging. Books like The Great Dinosaur Sleepover are a wonderful way to nurture that curiosity while fostering a lifelong love of reading. Looking for more Forest of Reading inspiration for the readers in your life? Check out our recent interviews with Vancouver-based Tanya Lloyd Kyi for The City of Lost Cats, or for fans of STEAM reads, This is How a Ball Rolls by  Heather Tekavec.


All photos provided by Linda Bailey.