Nature, plush in tooth and claw.
Baby T. rex goes looking for his mommy.
As the little dino searches, readers can lift sturdy, shaped flaps on the right side of each double-page spread to see what Baby T. rex finds behind a rock and other obstacles. Doing this not only exposes a different pop-up dinosaur each time, but also offers an unusual vocabulary-building exercise for toddlers, as they uncover in turn “Baby Alamosaurus (al-uh-mo-SAW-russ),” “Baby Acheroraptor (AHR-kee-ro-RAP-tor),” “Baby Triceratops (try-serra-tops),” and “Baby Ankylosaurus (an-KYE-lo-SAW-russ).” Sporting big eyes, knobbly plastic skins, and in some cases fuzzy coats of pinfeathers, the dinos look both toylike and realistically detailed. Better yet, Baby T. rex’s search comes to a gleefully terrifying end as, out from behind a cave-shaped flap, “Mommy T. rex” lurches up at viewers, toothy jaws agape. “Hooray!” No need for a pronunciation guide, either. Along the same lines, though with considerably less drama, the co-published Under the Sea features plushy Striped Fish, polka-dot Spotted Seahorse, and other nautical friends playing hide-and-seek behind a plastic boat, a purple treasure chest, and other obvious toys.
Nature, plush in tooth and claw. (Pop-up board book. 1-3)Pub Date: June 5, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4654-7455-1
Page Count: 12
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
Despite some glitches in the scansion and lack of originality, this outing goes down pretty easily.
This familiar dinosaur series takes a look at a favorite treat.
From the trip to the grocery store through consumption, these cookies present a satisfying crunch. There's male and female supervision (of both baking and the dinos themselves); one lady works in the kitchen in dress and pearls. Yolen's now-familiar rhythm loses some of its lightness in occasionally forced rhymes. “Does a dinosaur grab for a cookie that's hot? / No, that's something that he does decidedly NOT!” Scratch-and-sniff elements add sweet smells. For budding pastry chefs old enough to mix the ingredients, the addition of two recipes may provide inspiration (“Ask an adult to help you bake”). In the spirit of the series, there is a heavy focus on manners (and sweets in moderation) as the dinos devour their goodies; they drink milk daintily and hold the bag of chocolate chips in the supermarket instead of ripping it open.
Despite some glitches in the scansion and lack of originality, this outing goes down pretty easily. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-38253-3
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 12, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
This will have readers putting on their dancing shoes to do the “cha cha cha” with their dino-babies
It's not the first time dinosaurs have been featured in a clever Boynton board book. It seems she—and we—can't get enough.
As her fans know, Boynton has a sly wit that respects the intelligence of her young fans and amuses the adults asked to “read it again.” In this book she introduces nine dinosaurs, each of which dances in a way that seems totally appropriate for that particular species. “The blue Stegosaurus goes SHIMMY SHIMMY SHAKE. / The red Brontosaurus goes QUIVERY QUAKE.” Drawing on her experience as a children’s musician, she writes a text that trips along like a song with rhymes that make sense but don't intrude. The illustrations, typical Boynton, reflect her greeting-card background. They are cartoonish but manage to capture the unique personality of each creature. The unnamed dinosaur narrator looks genuinely distraught at not being able to name the “tiny little dino” that “goes DEEDLY DEE.” Spoiler alert: the tiny little dinosaur is probably Compsognathus and would be about the size of a small chicken. Young dinophiles would be impressed if the dinosaurologists in their lives could supply that factoid, but alas, they will have to look it up.
This will have readers putting on their dancing shoes to do the “cha cha cha” with their dino-babies . (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-8099-4
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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