The action begins even before the title page, when a young dinosaur kicks a couch pillow. In slow motion, it crashes into the building blocks of his siblings, and a series of childhood accidents ensues. He jumps onto a flowerpot that spills; gets a broom to sweep it up but knocks over a gallon of milk; uses a throw rug to mop up the floor; puts the rug in the dishwasher to clean it. Of course, he oversoaps the machine and bubbles erupt, dishes are broken, water floods the floor so high that he grabs onto a broken shelf and floats out the window. He picks up the pieces and returns to the kitchen, where his parents are mopping up. As punishment, he is sent to sit in the corner. But—“uh-oh”—he finds a stick of gum under the rug, and you guessed it, bubble gum has him covered in the pink, sticky stuff. Since the term “uh-oh,” which is virtually the only text, appears only seven times, the humor relies on the lively watercolor illustrations to create the visual narrative. They comically animate each episode almost like cartoon strips.
Other books with the same title are available—be sure to get this one too, with the impish, blue-spiked dinosaur, for bubbling good fun. (Picture book. 4-7)
