Do Dinosaurs Play Rugby?

What’s the number one thing New Zealand kids would want to know about a dinosaur if one came to live with them - does it play rugby?  

That question, among others, became both the premise and the title for a charming children’s book by New Zealand-based author and literary consultant, Rita Palmer.
Do Dinosaurs Play Rugby? centres on what two kids imagine a friendly Tyrannosaurus Rex thinks about the most important things in life: fish & chips, Marmite and rugby, and other stuff, like school.

Luke from Vida & Luke from Kelly Design, which has worked on many well-known picture books internationally, approached Stevie Mahardhika to illustrate the book.

Rita wanted the look for Davey Thomas Dinosaur (or DT as the kids call him) to depart from the scary image of science books. So, Stevie gave him a friendly, approachable face and colourful, rounded body to emphasise his love of fun. DT also had to use his ‘hands’ to pick things up and play, unlike a real T-Rex, which used its relatively small arms to hold down prey, says Stevie.