Expanding on the principle that there’s “a dino for every kid,” Rennert introduces a handful of dinosaurs, then offers useful general advice for new owners about care, feeding and elementary training. Using just as broad a brush for the art, Brown offers bright, splotchy monoprint scenes of smiling young folk turning their equally happy-looking prehistoric pets into a water slide or roller coaster, taking them to a beach and ballgame or just generally frolicking about. Under the descriptive label “Spiny,” the Spinosaurus receives this gloss: “Although she’s the perfect buddy all year round, [she] is a great warm-weather dino.” The illustration depicts a smiling dino, purple flowers dotting its tan hide, while a trio of kids enjoys the shade of its sail at the beach. From dino descriptions to basic commands—“STAY (Ha!)”—to exercising your dino and taking it to school, it’s a cheery descendant of Bernard Most’s classic If the Dinosaurs Came Back (1978), done in brighter colors and with a more contemporary look. (Picture book. 5-7)
