Next book

DANNY AND THE DINOSAUR AND THE NEW PUPPY

From the Danny and the Dinosaur series

Welcome back, Danny. Let’s hear some more stories about you, your new puppy, and your big, old friend.

The venerable I Can Read! series is extending Syd Hoff’s run with new books written and drawn in his familiar style.

This time, Danny and the dinosaur are in the park with Danny’s new puppy. As Danny gives commands to his furry friend, the dinosaur responds, usually with comic results. “Roll over” leads to squished bushes, “fetch” results in an uprooted tree, and “sit” equals one less functional bench in the park. The three friends end up having a great time at the pool, but they have to part for the evening, leaving the dinosaur to make his lonely trudge back to the museum. Danny comes up with a solution that makes everyone happy. Syd Hoff’s familiar style will attract new readers looking for more of Danny, and they will not be disappointed. Each illustration reflects the text and makes reading any challenging words manageable. The plot is straightforward and familiar and the ending, satisfying. Who wouldn’t like to have a sleepover in the museum on the back of a friendly dinosaur? Primary school librarians and teachers will be glad to welcome Danny and his dinosaur back onto the shelves, even if the words and pictures are by new creators.

Welcome back, Danny. Let’s hear some more stories about you, your new puppy, and your big, old friend. (Early reader. 4-7)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-06-228153-1

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: June 9, 2015

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2015

Next book

TINY T. REX AND THE IMPOSSIBLE HUG

Wins for compassion and for the refusal to let physical limitations hold one back.

With such short arms, how can Tiny T. Rex give a sad friend a hug?

Fleck goes for cute in the simple, minimally detailed illustrations, drawing the diminutive theropod with a chubby turquoise body and little nubs for limbs under a massive, squared-off head. Impelled by the sight of stegosaurian buddy Pointy looking glum, little Tiny sets out to attempt the seemingly impossible, a comforting hug. Having made the rounds seeking advice—the dino’s pea-green dad recommends math; purple, New Age aunt offers cucumber juice (“That is disgusting”); red mom tells him that it’s OK not to be able to hug (“You are tiny, but your heart is big!”), and blue and yellow older sibs suggest practice—Tiny takes up the last as the most immediately useful notion. Unfortunately, the “tree” the little reptile tries to hug turns out to be a pterodactyl’s leg. “Now I am falling,” Tiny notes in the consistently self-referential narrative. “I should not have let go.” Fortunately, Tiny lands on Pointy’s head, and the proclamation that though Rexes’ hugs may be tiny, “I will do my very best because you are my very best friend” proves just the mood-lightening ticket. “Thank you, Tiny. That was the biggest hug ever.” Young audiences always find the “clueless grown-ups” trope a knee-slapper, the overall tone never turns preachy, and Tiny’s instinctive kindness definitely puts him at (gentle) odds with the dinky dino star of Bob Shea’s Dinosaur Vs. series.

Wins for compassion and for the refusal to let physical limitations hold one back. (Picture book. 5-7)

Pub Date: March 5, 2019

ISBN: 978-1-4521-7033-6

Page Count: 48

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Review Posted Online: Nov. 11, 2018

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018

Next book

HOW TO CATCH A LOVEOSAURUS

From the How To Catch… series

Sugary uplift, shrink-wrapped for the masses.

An elusive new quarry leads the How To Catch… kids on a merry chase through a natural history museum.

Taking at least a step away from the “hunters versus prey” vibe of previous entries in the popular series, the racially diverse group of young visitors dashes through various museum halls in pursuit of the eponymous dino—whose quest to “spread kindness and joy ’round the world” takes the form of a mildly tumultuous museum tour. In most of Elkerton’s overly sweet, color-saturated scenes, only portions of the Loveosaurus, who is purple and covered with pink hearts, are visible behind exhibits or lumbering off the page. But the children find small enticements left behind, from craft supplies to make cards for endangered species to pictures of smiley faces, candy heart–style personal notes (“You Rock!” “Give Hugs”), and, in the hall of medieval arms and armor, a sign urging them to “Be Honest Be Kind.” The somewhat heavy-handed lesson comes through loud and clear. “There’s a message, he wants us to think,” hints Walstead to clue in more obtuse readers…and concluding scenes of smiling people young and otherwise exchanging hugs and knuckle bumps, holding doors for a wheelchair rider, and dancing through clouds of sparkles indicate that they, at least, have gotten it. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Sugary uplift, shrink-wrapped for the masses. (Picture book. 5-7)

Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2022

ISBN: 9781728268781

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland

Review Posted Online: Jan. 17, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2023

Close Quickview