With a little time, love, and patience, even a huge, green reptile can make a great pet.
A how-to guide on caring for a pet dinosaur.
An unnamed child who already has a dog receives a dinosaur egg in the mail. Along with reading the instructions, which make up the whole of the second-person text, readers witness the fun that comes with a pet baby dinosaur. They meet the adorable, green dinosaur when it hatches. First things first, readers learn, you have to feed your dinosaur—maybe eggs, bananas, cereal, and bread. Next, it’s time for a walk in the park. The baby theropod is depicted leaving a huge pile of poop in the grass, a total laugh-out-loud moment for any young reader (and a bummer moment for the dino’s child caregiver, who is ready with shovel and wheelbarrow). After a splash in the park’s fountain with his friends close by and a lesson in sharing, it’s time for lunch and the most adorable picture in the book, when the dinosaur takes a nap on top of his young human caregiver. After a long day in the park, it’s time to head home and get ready for bed, which gives readers a posterlike closing image of child, dog, and dino. A natural for fans of Gareth Edwards and Guy Parker-Rees’ Never Ask a Dinosaur to Dinner (2015), this outing is notable for its capable black protagonist.
With a little time, love, and patience, even a huge, green reptile can make a great pet. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: May 14, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0568-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: March 16, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2019
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
Totes adorbs.
A cuddly, squishy pug’s puggy-wuggy diary.
Equipped with both #pugunicorn and #pughotdog outfits, pug Baron von Bubbles (aka Bub) is the kind of dog that always dresses to impress. Bub also makes lots of memorable faces, such as the “Hey, you’re not the boss of me!” expression aimed at Duchess, the snooty pink house cat. Some of Bub’s favorite things include skateboarding, a favorite teddy, and eating peanut butter. Bub also loves Bella, who adopted Bub from a fair—it was “love at first sniff.” Together, Bub and Bella do a lot of arts and crafts. Their latest project: entering Bella’s school’s inventor challenge by making a super-duper awesome rocket. But, when the pesky neighborhood squirrel, Nutz, makes off with Bub’s bear, Bub accidentally ruins their project. How will they win the contest? More importantly, how will Bella ever forgive him? May’s cutesy, full-color cartoon art sets the tone for this pug-tastic romp for the new-to–chapter-books crowd. Emojilike faces accentuate Bub’s already expressive character design. Bub’s infectious first-person narration pushes the silly factor off the charts. In addition to creating the look and feel of a diary, the lined paper helps readers follow the eight-chapter story. Most pages have fewer than five sentences, often broken into smaller sections. Additional text appears in color-coded speech bubbles. Bella presents white.
Totes adorbs. (Fiction. 5-7)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-338-53003-2
Page Count: 80
Publisher: Scholastic
Review Posted Online: July 13, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2019
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