Spotting a passing dinosaur from his bedroom window one night, young Bobby follows it to a square surrounded by tall, dark office buildings where a host of dinos has gathered for a wild rumpus. Jobling, creative director of PBS’s “Bob the Builder,” creates big, blocky cartoons featuring simplified but recognizable dinosaurs, each a single, bright color, sporting with a pajama-clad lad until he drifts off and is tenderly borne back to bed. Emmett (Bringing Down the Moon, 2001, etc.) himself drifts between prose and verse in telling the tale, which makes for abrupt, awkward changes in rhythm. He cites Where the Wild Things Are as his inspiration, but when it comes to emotional or psychological depth, he misses the boat there too. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: March 1, 2001
ISBN: 0-307-41179-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Golden Books/Random
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2002
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Representing all children who must know everything about T. rex, a lad grills his granddad as they take in a dinosaur show at the museum: “How were his teeth, his terrible teeth? / Were they sharp? Were they long? / Were they terribly strong?” Granddad answers as best he (and modern paleontology) can, but often he’s forced to protest that, “It was millions and millions of years ago!” Using intensely hued acrylics applied in broad, visible brushstrokes, Bartlett depicts the two visitors examining dioramas of toothy carnivores in action (even engaged in a rather gory meal), then moving on to fossils, smaller scenes, and, at last, the inevitable dinosaur gift shop. French intersperses brief prose commentary to fill in some of the blanks, and has Granddad turn the tables on his young interrogator by suggesting that he—and by extension, readers—might one day themselves answer some of the many questions remaining about T. rex. That’s an energizing idea for young dinosaur fans. (index) (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-7)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-7636-2184-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 2004
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Expanding on the principle that there’s “a dino for every kid,” Rennert introduces a handful of dinosaurs, then offers useful general advice for new owners about care, feeding and elementary training. Using just as broad a brush for the art, Brown offers bright, splotchy monoprint scenes of smiling young folk turning their equally happy-looking prehistoric pets into a water slide or roller coaster, taking them to a beach and ballgame or just generally frolicking about. Under the descriptive label “Spiny,” the Spinosaurus receives this gloss: “Although she’s the perfect buddy all year round, [she] is a great warm-weather dino.” The illustration depicts a smiling dino, purple flowers dotting its tan hide, while a trio of kids enjoys the shade of its sail at the beach. From dino descriptions to basic commands—“STAY (Ha!)”—to exercising your dino and taking it to school, it’s a cheery descendant of Bernard Most’s classic If the Dinosaurs Came Back (1978), done in brighter colors and with a more contemporary look. (Picture book. 5-7)
Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2009
ISBN: 978-0-375-83679-4
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2009
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