“Thursday was a day much like any other for Jesse. Trains and dinosaurs. Dinosaurs and trains.” In a brisk, bright solo debut, Gurney combines these two near-universal obsessions; just as Jesse is getting ready for bed, a huge spiked tail extends through the window, and the call comes: “ALL ABOARD!” Who could resist? Off Jesse hies on a train filled with enormous dinos of diverse, recognizable sorts, all sporting a range of human attire from business suits to blue jeans. The train is derailed when everyone rushes to one side to view an exploding volcano, but with Jesse’s help, it’s soon back on track, steaming bedroom-wards with a Tyrannosaurus engineer perched atop the boiler. The author gives his towering prehistoric passengers a friendly look, and depicts them with a crisp precision enhanced by white or plain-colored backgrounds. Here’s a train that will never want for pajama-clad passengers—no ticket required. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2002
ISBN: 0-06-029245-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An appealing approach, as ever filled with humor and common sense.
In the latest addition to the long-running, bestselling series, Yolen and Teague’s rascally dinosaurs learn to read and enjoy books despite their sometimes-inappropriate antics.
Yolen’s signature, inquiry-based rhyming text begins with the titular query, “How does a dinosaur / learn how to read?” In response, a series of rhetorical questions are posed, each indicating an unsuitable behavior or reaction when a new reader might be struggling, frustrated, and discouraged. “Does he use his new book / as a shovel or bat? // Play fetch with the dog? / Throw books at the cat?” Silly (“jump on the book”), sometimes rage-filled (“have a big hissy / when reading skills fail”) conduct eventually leads to the inevitable series of contradictions. “No—she’s kind to each book, / to the cover and pages. / She reads very carefully. / Never has rages.” Respectful care for books is emphasized so that reading a good story can be enjoyed again and again with calm, determined patience. Humorously exaggerated depictions of nine different angry, irritated, ill-tempered (and enormous) dinosaurs quickly revert to happy, willing, and satisfied expressions (highlighted in the endpapers) as new readers succeed to end the day peacefully, each falling asleep with a book in bed. A practical addendum offers sensible strategies for caregivers to coach their new readers following parental read-alouds, including learning letter sounds, sounding out words, using picture cues, repetition, and rhyming words.
An appealing approach, as ever filled with humor and common sense. (Picture book. 5-7)Pub Date: June 26, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-338-23301-8
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Blue Sky/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 17, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2018
© Copyright 2026 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
