First published in Great Britain, Wallace’s dramatic offering presents a day in the life of a very hungry dinosaur. It gets pretty graphic: T-Rex targets a vulnerable triceratops, “His teeth bite and slice. His jaws shut like a trap . . . He tears out great mouthfuls.” Then he leaves its carcass to rot and moves on to his next meal. The size of the Tyrannosaurus’s teeth, the scope of its jaw, the size of its forearms in relation to the rest of its body—Wallace weaves these details into the narrative, giving readers a real sense of the creature’s enormous size and power, its habits, and prehistoric habitat. Bostock’s full-bleed illustrations suit the story well—they’re realistic, but not too scary. In the closing spread, fiery volcanic debris rains down on the dinosaur’s head as his claws press the flesh of an edmontosaurus. This compelling introduction to dinosaur life will whet new fans’ appetites and leave experienced dino-philes drooling. (Picture book. 4-8)
