BRAXTON ROARS WITH DINOSAURS

*Author's note: This book was inspired by and is lovingly dedicated to my nephew Braxton! Braxton Eric this one is for you!

Braxton picked his toys up and put them all away. He yawned as he put his pjs on. He had had a busy day.

"Braxton Eric have you brushed your teeth?"

"Yes mommy! I brushed them all! They're super, squeaky clean!"

"Alright, then choose a book to read because it's almost time for bed." Braxton hopped over and chose one from his shelf. He climbed up in between his parents and showed them he could read it all by himself.

His parents then tucked Braxton in, kissed him and said goodnight. His daddy smiled back at him as he turned on his special dinosaur nightlight. His mommy whispered, "We love you. I hope you have sweet dreams." Braxton snuggled his fluffy dinosaur, rubbed his eyes and fell asleep without a peep.

From the moment he closed his eyes Braxton drifted off to sleep. He dreamed he was on a dinosaur adventure just like in the book he always chose to read.

"Well hello there Mr. Braxton! I'm Billy the Brontosaurus. When I'm hungry I eat leaves that are high up in the trees but with my long neck it's quite easy. You could say for me it's a breeze!"

"Well, hello there Braxton. My name is Teddy the T-Rex. They call me the king around here because I'm strong and I'm fast. If you ever need help with anything all you have to do is ask."

Billy the Brontosaurus cleared his throat and chimed back in again, "Like I was saying, I have a long neck and for me, eating is a breeze. If you get hungry just roar of course if you want to munch on some leaves with me."

Braxton stood in the dinosaur forest with his new friends T-rex and Brontosaurus. They towered above him but Braxton didn't seem to notice that they were simply enormous.

"What do you want to do first?" His friend T- Rex asked him with a grin.

"Well, I don't know how to roar." Braxton sighed and flashed a smile up at his new friends.

"Do you think you could teach me how to roar? I know how to yell real loud but I can't roar like a dinosaur."

"Of course I can teach you, but first, we must prepare. It's not easy you know. You have to keep trying until your roar dances through the air."

"Can you teach me to roar just like you do? I want to pretend I'm a Tyrannosaurus!"

"With some practice, yes, of course. Now tilt your head back and let out your biggest growl. If you do it just right, your roar will echo right up to the clouds."

So Braxton tilted his head back and he let out his biggest growl. But I'm afraid his growl sounded more like a squeak and his smile quickly turned into a frown.

T-Rex clapped his hands and said, "Braxton that was amazing! You're doing great, but this time growl much louder. Keep practicing. Don't be afraid!"

So Braxton tilted his head back and he let out his biggest growl. Teddy and Billy clapped and clapped. Braxton made them both so proud.

"I did it! I did it! Braxton jumped up and down. "I roared just like a dinosaur. My roar, it did. It echoed right up to the clouds!"

"You sure did!" They both said as they patted him gently on his head. "Now follow us and we'll show you the way, back to your own bed."

Braxton was suddenly sad. "My bed? But I'm not ready to go back yet. I'm having so much fun and want to stay right here and be a dinosaur instead."

"Alright, you can stay a bit longer, but then it's back to your bed," they said. "Next we'll take you to meet our friends in the forest. Stay close and don't wander off. It will be dark as we explore it."