Time-travel, dinosaurs, and a scientist-inventor add up to a simple but satisfying equation in this mid-level easy reader. Dr. Clock travels in his time machine to the era of the dinosaurs, where he meets two plant-eating pachycephalosauri (cleverly introduced in the text with phonetic pronunciation of their tongue-twisting title). He observes the plant-eating dinosaurs, recording their appearance and habits in his notebook like a serious scientist, even when the dinosaurs are trying to carry him off. Dr. Clock escapes in his time machine, traveling forward in time and landing by mistake in the middle of a jousting tournament with knights in shining armor. Weston (Annie and Bo and the Big Surprise, 2002, etc.) inserts lots of droll humor in both her text and watercolor-with-ink illustrations, with clever little jokes and plays on words that new readers will enjoy. “Dr. Clock cannot write in his notebook,” says the text as the picture shows him bundled up in the dinosaur’s arms. This short but solid story could be used for dinosaur or time-travel themes or could easily be integrated into first-grade lessons in scientific observation or creation of time lines. Better yet, it’s just plain fun to read. Though only time will tell, Dr. Clock seems ready to rock on with more adventures in his time-travel machine. (Easy reader. 4-8)
