Celebrating National Dinosaur Day, May 7.

This week on Thursday 7th May, we celebrate National Dinosaur Day. here in Australia. Queensland celebrates National Dinosaur Week beginning Monday 4th May. The U.S. celebrate national dinosaur day on 1st June, while International Dinosaur day is 20th May. I thought this was a perfect time to revisit some of Australia’s unique dinosaurs and of course my chapter book Fossil Frenzy the Adamson Adventures 3.

I know I promised I would write this month on the Realities of Self-Publishing part 3, but I hope you forgive me in my indulgence of our incredibly roaresome extinct wildlife.

Let’s look first at why kids are often obsessed with dinosaurs.

1. The fact that dinosaurs are extinct and lived millions of years ago in a world very different from our world today creates mystery , intrigue and wonder which in turn makes them irresistible for imaginative play.

2. Dinosaurs are often depicted as scary huge animals that spark curiosity.

3. During play they can explore issues of fear and bravery in a safe but fun environment.

4. Dinosaur names are often long and tricky to pronounce and spell making them too alluring not to attempt.

5. There is a large diversity of types of dinosaurs to explore and develop curiosity for learning.

The benefits of having a fascination for dinosaurs.

1. The obvious one, learning to write, read and pronounce tricky or complex dinosaur names increases vocabulary growth during their younger informative years. it not only strengthens phonetic awareness but verbal skills and increases language development.

2. Children develop a longer attention span due to their high level of interest to focus on a given topic. With so many other distractions these days, we need to encourage anything that will help our kids increase their focus and attention span.

3. When kids study a particular topic like dinosaurs they develop the ability to comprehend complex subjects and information which helps in later learning.

4. By categorising dinosaurs by species, habitat or diet children increase their ability to process critical thinking skills and ideas that later help in the learning of STEM subjects.

5. Children often have much more knowledge of dinosaurs than their parents which gives them confidence as they master and become experts in a given subject.

6. Shared interaction playing with dinosaurs or sharing knowledge about dinosaurs helps children connect socially with peers and adults.

A few Australian Dinosaurs and where to find them.

Head and long neck of a replica of Australotitan Coopernesis at the National Dinosaur Museum with me, Sandra Bennett Author sitting underneath holding a copy of Fossil Frenzy, the Adamson Adventures 3.

Australotitan Cooperensis at the National Dinosaur Museum.

1. Australotitan Cooperensis - found in outback Queensland west of the small town of Eromanga, with a tiny population of around 100 people. Cooper was found in the dry Eromanga basin which was an inland sea during the Early Cretaceous period. Initially discovered only in 2005-7, the remains of Cooper have proven to be the largest titanosaurian sauropod in Australia. He was believed to have been about 30m (98.42 ft) long and 6.5 m (21.32 ft) high from ground to hip, so that doesn’t include that remarkably long neck and tiny head. Australotitan Cooperensis fossilised remains can be found at the Eromanga National History Museum.

2. Muttaburrasaurus - this plant eating ornithopod ( a mostly bipedal dinosaur known to have bird-like feet), was found on a farm near a town called Muttaburra in Central Queensland which is another small town with a population of only 200 people. Muttaburrasaurus was also from the Early Cretaceous period. It measured 7 - 9 m (23 -30 ft) in length, stood 2.3-2.6 m (7.5 -8.5 ft) tall to the hip and weighed about 3 tons. Muttaburrasaurus is know for its unusually shaped head and long, rounded snout.

3. Australovenator -is a mega-raptor found in the dry outback plains near Winton, in the central west of Queensland, which is a slightly larger town with a population of around 860 people. This raptor was 6 m (19.38 ft) long and 2 m (6.5 ft) tall at the hip. This carnivorous dinosaur lived during the late Cretaceous period. The most well known Australovenator was discovered on the edge of a dried out billabong (watering hole) alongside a sauropod. They were named Banjo and Matilda in honour of Banjo Paterson who wrote the well-know poem Waltzing Matilda while living in the Winton region. Banjo and Matilda can be found at the Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum just outside of Winton.

4. Minmi paravertebra - Discovered in 1969 in a place called Minmi in Central Queensland near the town of Roma, which has a population around 6,800. This Minmi is the first ankylosaur (armoured dinosaur) to have been discovered in the Southern Hemisphere. It was also around during the Early Cretaceous period. It was a herbivore that walked on all four long legs with backwards directed bony projections similar to a crocodile. These would have strengthened their muscles and would have made it possible to outrun some predators rather than relying on their spiky bone structure for defence alone. The minmi has been measured as a small dinosaur at 2.5 - 3 m , (8.2- 9.8 ft ) long, stood only about 1 m (3.28 ft) tall to the hip and weighed 300 Kg (660 lb).

A replica of Australovenator at the National Dinosaur Museum, Me, Sandra Bennet Author sitting in the Jurassic Park like jeep holding a copy of Fossil Frenzy.

Australvenator at Floriade in Canberra 2025, courtesy of the National Dinosaur Museum.

Replicas of these dinosaurs may also be seen at the Australian National Dinosaur Museum here in Canberra. You can also find information on Australian Dinosaurs in the museums of any Australian state museum. Dinosaur Valley at Scenic World in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains (west of Sydney), is a fun way to explore dinosaurs while walking through native bushland. More dinosaurs can be found among the rainforest walk at the Daintree Discovery Centre in far North Queensland. I was lucky to have an opportunity to experience both these amazing walks while researching Fossil Frenzy.

Both the Minmi paravertebra and the Australovenator can be found in Fossil Frenzy The Adamson Adventures 3. When reading the story kids will see that I have simplified the text to mega-raptor and ankylosaur, but for those interested in learning more, they will find information at the back of the book. Long neck sauropods are also found in the story, however I have not made reference to Australotitan Cooperensis specifically.

If you are interested in an outback dinosaur adventure in Queensland, you can embark on Australia’s dinosaur trail which covers 1,350Km that includes The Australian Age of Dinosaurs Museum at Winton, Dinosaur Stampede National Monument at Lark Quarry Conservation Park, Kronosaurus Kornerat Richmond where you can see lots of marine dinosaur fossils, and at Hughendon you can discover the Muttaburrasaurus at Flinders Discovery Centre. Of course if you can’t manage a real life outback Queensland adventure, you can always read Fossil Frenzy from the comfort of you own home.

What is your favourite dinosaur?

Why do you think kids find them so fascinating?

Writing Adventure Stories With Kids.

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of presenting a writing workshop to a group of kids. It was for the very first kids book club organised by the amazing and supportive Book Cow-Kingston.

Running a writing workshop for kids at the Book Cow Kingston for their Kids Book Club.

There’s always so much fun to be had when talking about adventure stories, dinosaurs and volcanoes.

We decided that instead of asking kids to read a certain book or chapters before attending the event, all they had to do was to think about an adventure story they had read.

The question was then posed - What makes a great adventure story?

We spent the next hour or so, discussing the key elements that go into writing the story structure to develop their own fantastic adventure.

To do this yesterday, as we went through each item, I used examples and read extracts from my Adamson Adventure series. This lead to much discussion about dinosaurs and volcanoes. (more on that later).

Let’s examine seven key features we need to be able to write a thrilling adventure story for kids.

A Hero

All great stories need an equally great hero or protagonist. The hero needs to be likeable and relatable so that the reader will be invested in the story and want to see the hero succeed. A hero, also however, needs flaws or weaknesses. Things that they fear or worry about that they must attempt to overcome throughout the story.

My main character in the Adamson Adventures is Zac. Each story is told from his point of view. Zac is a bit of a know it all. He loves reading, science and learning about everything, but this can be a little annoying to his siblings. Zac’s knowledge about dinosaurs does come in handy to help keep them out of danger in Fossil Frenzy.

Supporting Characters

A hero often doesn’t go on his journey alone, (although he can) he usually needs supporting characters or sidekicks. These provide comic relief when the tension gets too much, or push the hero to keep moving forward when the obstacles get too difficult.

Zac’s sidekicks are his sister, Clare and his brother, Luke. They too, need to have good and bad traits. Clare started out quite shy and frightened in Secrets Hidden Below, book 1, she didn’t like to take risks or do anything that might get herself and her brothers in trouble. By Fossil Frenzy, book 3, her character has grown, become much more confident and self assured, in fact you might even say that she becomes the unwilling hero. Luke on the other hand, is the spontaneous sibling, who likes to rush into things without thinking. This could be seen as either good or bad. On one hand, he is never afraid to try new things, or not paralysed by self doubt, but it can lead him into inevitable danger where Zac and Clare must follow to protect him.

A Quest

All adventure stories have a quest or journey in one form or another. Whether that is in solving a mystery, searching for a treasure or resolving some sort of major problem. Within the quest, their must be an inciting incident that drives our characters forward to a point of no return. They have no other choice but to head deep into the chasm of difficulty and danger. It is always good to drive them into an unfamiliar or perilous environment.

In Fossil Frenzy, the kids are on a quest to find fossils to help save their Uncle’s drought-stricken farm. The inciting incident occurs when the massive storms converge and they are forced to take shelter in a cave, only to discover when they emerge that they are no longer in their own time.

Villains

This brings us to the baddies in our story or the antagonist. This can come in many forms. It could be another person, it could be a crippling fear that prevents the hero from achieving his goals, or it could be a threatening animals. In this case it is a dinosaur, a theropod to be exact that is not only chasing them, but preventing them from finding a way safely back home.

Risks

As the quest continues, we must up the tension with more and bigger risks. Their must be perils to face that become harder to avert or resolve.

We talked about different types of dinosaurs, which ones may be herbivores or carnivores and what dangers these may lead our characters into. I read an extract from Fossil Frenzy and we decided whether the Demon Duck of Doom was most likely a friend or foe.

Time Limit

A great adventure also needs a time limit. It also increases the suspense, pace, drama and pressure as our heroes race against the clock to succeed. In Fossil frenzy, not only are they in imminent danger from carnivorous dinosaurs, they are running out of food and Luke becomes critically ill making the trio desperate to return home to get him to hospital.

Transformation

By the end of the journey the hero must have changed in some way by the time he has achieved his goal. Zac is more grateful to have his siblings by his side and has come to realise the importance of family. Clare is more courageous, although at times still somewhat reluctantly, while Luke, is now starting to consider his actions before diving in headfirst.

Other than dinosaurs, I also used as an example a volcano. It could be seen as a setting or a villain, depending on how and where in the story it is used. I read an extract from Secrets Hidden Below where the volcano appears in the climax of the story. It is antagonistic and prevents our heroes from seemingly achieving their final goal. It is not until the resolution that we find out whether or not they have found the sought after pirate treasure. To demonstrate the use of the volcano as part of a setting, and the initial action, I read from my early reader ‘Alien Shenanigans’ where the volcano is a classroom experiment that goes inevitably and drastically wrong. To the delight of the book club, I did the experiment and erupted the volcano. It was a fantastic way to finish the session and one I am sure the kids will remember.

The volcano began to fizz and slowly ooze over the sides.

An erupting volcano is always a big hit with kids.

Do you like reading adventure stories?

What is one of your favourites that you read as a child?

All my books mentioned above are available here from my website.

Book Fairs and Market Stalls, Are they worthwhile?

The short answer : Absolutely.

The long answer : That depends on your goals and what you hope to achieve.

Let’s look at the Pros and Cons.

Pros.

1. You sell books.

2. More people are able to read your books.

3. You gain exposure as an author.

4. More photos to post on your socials.

5. You get to catch up in person with other author friends.

6. You make new author friends.

7. You make connections within the industry.

8. You can learn from how other authors promote themselves.

9. It’s great to meet and chat with book lovers about your books.

10. Lots of books for you to purchase too.

Sharing a stall with a friend helps reduce costs and gives you fabulous company to share the experience with. I shared my stall with the amazing Jacqueline De Rose-Ahern .

The Book Fair meant a great opportunity to have dinner and catch-up with wonderful author friends.

Cons.

1. The cost of your stall can vary for the type of event, from next to nothing to quite expensive.

2. You have to weigh up in your mind whether the cost is worth it.

3. You may not sell enough books to cover your costs.

4. If the event is not in your home town, you have added costs of travel and accommodation.

5. It’s hard to know how many books to take. Not enough and you may sell out before the end of the event. Too many and you may bring most of them back home.

6. Books are heavy to transport.

This weekend I attended the inaugural Book Fair Australia in Sydney at Sydney Olympic Park. I don’t live in Sydney, so this meant travel and two nights accommodation. Did I find it worthwhile? Yes. While I sold enough books to cover the price of my stall, I certainly didn’t cover the cost of accommodation. Did that matter? No. It was a great weekend away and a wonderful experience. I enjoyed a great girls weekend away catching up with friends I hadn’t seen in years because of Covid. Spending time with your tribe is so important to your mental health. I enjoyed talking to people as they wandered passed our stall and selling books was an added bonus. Meeting other authors and publishers was a fantastic networking opportunity and seeing the quality of printed books first hand is always helpful for future reference.

I had the opportunity to read a segment of Fossil Frenzy to kids in the children’s corner. It was a small group, but that meant I was able to engage with them personally. Connecting with kids is what being a children’s author is all about.

On Sunday afternoon I even joined the panel discussion on Engaging Curious Minds in Kidlit. I was both surprised and delighted when I read I had been selected to join the panel. I admit I was also somewhat nervous about the idea. But that didn’t last long once the discussion began, I relaxed into it and actually can say I enjoyed it. It was another marvellous opportunity to engage with my reading audience and their gatekeepers, their parents and carers.

Will I return next year? I haven’t decided yet. I would like to, but I need to consider my options. Perhaps market stalls closer to home where I don’t have travel and accommodation costs are better. However, as James Bond once said, ‘never say never.’

Our Panel Presenter was most excited to learn that I had written a middle grade adventure set in Indonesia that incorporated some Bahasa Indonesia for kids to learn.

Our Panel Presenter asked some thought-provoking questions on Engaging Curious Minds in Kidlit.

Have you ever appeared at a Book Fair or done market stalls?

Did you find it worthwhile?

Would you do it again?

Please let me know in the comment section below, I would love to hear your opinion.