When Dinosaurs Came with Everything by Elise Broach, illustrated by David Small.

Running errands with Mom is such a bore, until a boy discovers that today, dinosaurs come with everything.  Buy a dozen doughnuts, get a triceratops.  Get a shot, receive a stegosaurus.  With each purchase, the boy gets more ecstatic and his mother more frazzled.  Eventually, the pair have quite a herd of dinosaurs heading back home with them.  Mom needs to lie down for awhile, but when she sees the dinos in the yard, she has a brilliant idea.

I love this book.  I love its sense of play and fun.  I love that there is no waking from a dream, just people who now have to deal with a group of dinosaurs in their lives.  It is a book that speaks to getting things for “free” like kittens but also speaks to the utter joy of childhood and open possibilities. 

Don’t save this just for children who like dinosaurs, though they will be thrilled with it.  The book has a good enough story to be read aloud to children ages 4-7 at any time.  Nicely, while it appeals to children, adults will also enjoy the humor, meaning that it is a great one to become a read-aloud favorite.