Appealing enough, but adds little to the substantial dinosaur subgenre. (Picture book. 3-5)
Each dinosaur has his favorite dance and really knows how to shake it!
The fang-tastic T. Rex serves as emcee, introducing a galaxy of dancing dinosaur stars. (He also does a mean tango.) The Duckbills favor disco, Steggy likes the Twist and the Raptors tap dance, complete with canes and hats. In all, 14 varieties of dinosaur step out, illustrated in bold full-page pictures. Tracey Triceratops, adorned with a sparkling gold necklace and matching shoes, does body pops. The Pachycephalosaurus brothers breakdance. Lily Dilophosaurus executes an elegant waltz, in a hot-pink gown and scarves for gesticulation. Patty Apatasaurus and her crew of three samba, careful to avoid the pile of poo she's deposited(!). Maia Maiasaurus moonwalks in one white glove. Judges hold up scores that vary wildly. And every few pages, a small illustration in the corner of the page depicts a judge being snatched away by green claws. Wildish's pictures are funny, but Clarke's rhyming text is disappointingly minimal, relying on the tropes of reality-TV dance shows that many in the audience may not recognize.
Appealing enough, but adds little to the substantial dinosaur subgenre. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: Feb. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-936140-67-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Imagine Publishing
Review Posted Online: Dec. 20, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2012
A dino-delight.
A Cretaceous counting rhyme leading up to a toothy 10th.
Norman’s latest outing and first collaboration with Collet-Derby is storytime and read-aloud gold, featuring as it does a tight, patterned rhyme, an artful use of page turns, and a mighty “ROAR!” midstream—not to mention lots of dinosaurs. In meter and rhyme scheme, it’s modeled after “One potato, two potato”: “One-osaurus, two-osaurus… / three-osaurus, four….” The count gathers a growing gang of “prehistoric pals” until nine have accumulated, at which point the text begins building tension with first a “dinosaur stampede!” and then four double-page spreads of anticipatory quiet as each dino hunkers down behind a number-shaped rock. Finally an enormous shadow heralds the arrival of “ten-osaurus rex!”…who makes a big, loud entrance but turns out to be (wait for it) huge of personality but physically the most diminutive dino of the lot. Rendered in a flat, serigraphic style, the dot-eyed dinosaurs of diverse type are each kitted out with some human article of clothing or accessory. The yellow ankylosaurus sports a red beret; the white apatosaurus has blue polka dots and wears a red-and-white–striped muffler. They stampede through minimalist settings stocked with great big, black numerals that wind up doing double duty, in various orientations, as hiding places for the startled playmates. What’s next? How about a closing change of game: “Simon Says-osaur!”
A dino-delight. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: March 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0179-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 26, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2020
A quiet book about making a giant leap.
Lottie knows something no one else knows. Her mother and brother don’t know. Her swimming instructor does not know, and the other children in swim class certainly don’t know.
There is a shark that lives in the pool. It wants to eat Lottie—only Lottie—and Lottie is not going to let it get anywhere near her. Most children have had moments when they’ve sat on the sidelines watching others laugh and play because they were too scared to just dive in, and that is precisely where Lottie finds herself. Lucky for her, Walter shows up just in time. He sings, they read books, play in bubbles, and even share the same favorite food. But when it comes time for Lottie to face her fears, can Walter truly help? Walter, as readers and Lottie see but her family may not, is an enormous walrus. Walker’s soft and appropriately watery illustrations complement and extend her whimsical text, lending a dreamlike feel to the story. Readers will discern the shadowy, predatory shape of the shark below the surface of the water even as Lottie’s classmates splash and play, and they will sympathize, and they will giggle at the depictions of Walter’s huge bulk in Lottie’s tidy urban home while believing that Walter will protect her. Lottie, her mother, and her brother have light-brown skin and black hair.
A quiet book about making a giant leap. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: May 7, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-328-47038-6
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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