Look! There Are No Dinos Inside Of This Book

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Look! There Are No Dinos Inside Of This Book

Name: Look! There Are No Dinos Inside Of This Book
Author: Jimmy Vee

by Jimmy Vee ; illustrated by Mark Wilson ‧ RELEASE DATE: N/A

Delightful illustrations add life to a slightly uneven story.

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Vee offers an offbeat children’s picture book about a dinosaur wrangler.

This rhyming book, which features fun, detailed full-color illustrations by Wilson, begins with a bespectacled man introducing himself: “I’m Dangerous Dave, and you know I’m no angler,” he says. “Around here I’m known as a dinosaur wrangler.” He assures readers that there are no dinosaurs in the book, but in fact there are several: Clues include teeth marks on pages and loud roaring sounds, and the creatures themselves frolic just outside Dave’s line of sight. In the end, the dinosaurs win out, wrangling the wrangler out of the story and telling young readers that “not one dino-wrangler is left in this book!” It’s difficult to determine the target audience for Vee’s book. On the one hand, readers are asked to point out teeth and other parts of the dinosaur body, which will appeal to very young readers, but the book’s main conceit—the wrangler denying the existence of dinosaurs when it’s clear they exist—may be a tad confusing to that same age group. However, they’ll delight in Wilson’s charming illustrations, which enliven the text. Dave himself, with his bushy red mustache, shows real personality, as do the dinosaurs and other animals he encounters and discusses, including a skunk and a rat.

Delightful illustrations add life to a slightly uneven story.

Pub Date: N/A

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: Dec. 24, 2024

Review Program: Kirkus Indie

Categories:

CHILDREN'S DINOSAURS & PREHISTORIC CREATURES

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THE HUGASAURUS

by Rachel Bright ; illustrated by Chris Chatterton ‧ RELEASE DATE: Dec. 6, 2022

Gently models kindness and respect—positive behavior that can be applied daily.

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A group of young “dinosauruses” go out into the world on their own.

A fuchsia little Hugasaurus and her Pappysaur (both of whom resemble Triceratops) have never been apart before, but Hugasaurus happily heads off with lunchbox in hand and “wonder in her heart” to make new friends. The story has a first-day-of-school feeling, but Hugasaurus doesn’t end up in a formal school environment; rather, she finds herself on a playground with other little prehistoric creatures, though no teacher or adult seems to be around. At first, the new friends laugh and play. But Hugasaurus’ pals begin to squabble, and play comes to a halt. As she wonders what to do, a fuzzy platypus playmate asks some wise questions (“What…would your Pappy say to do? / What makes YOU feel better?”), and Hugasaurus decides to give everyone a hug—though she remembers to ask permission first. Slowly, good humor is restored and play begins anew with promises to be slow to anger and, in general, to help create a kinder world. Short rhyming verses occasionally use near rhyme but also include fun pairs like ripples and double-triples. Featuring cozy illustrations of brightly colored creatures, the tale sends a strong message about appropriate and inappropriate ways to resolve conflict, the final pages restating the lesson plainly in a refrain that could become a classroom motto. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Gently models kindness and respect—positive behavior that can be applied daily. (Picture book. 4-6)

Pub Date: Dec. 6, 2022

ISBN: 978-1-338-82869-6

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Orchard/Scholastic

Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2022

Categories:

CHILDREN'S DINOSAURS & PREHISTORIC CREATURES | CHILDREN'S SOCIAL THEMES

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THE SPEEDYSAURUS
by Rachel Bright ; illustrated by Chris Chatterton

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by Rachel Bright ; illustrated by Nadia Shireen

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by Rachel Bright ; illustrated by Nadia Shireen

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TINY T. REX AND THE IMPOSSIBLE HUG

From the Tiny T. Rex series

by Jonathan Stutzman ; illustrated by Jay Fleck ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 5, 2019

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

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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)