A warm and comforting springtime outing with a puny but persistent protagonist.
Tiny T. Rex dresses up as the “Easter Bun-Bun” to make a surprise basket for Mother and Father.
Easter morning is a special one for Tiny T. Rex. There are eggs to find and a basket towering with goodies to savor. But when kindly Tiny realizes that Mother and Father never get any special holiday treats, it’s time for a costume change. The little tyrannosaurus and stegosaurus pal Pointy don bunny outfits and prepare Easter fare for Mother and Father. The day involves (messy) egg painting, an almost-too-successful egg-hiding mission, and a full basket brimming with treats—and love. Fans of the diminutive dinosaur will be drawn to this Easter-themed board book. Once more, Tiny is utterly fetching—an adorably wide-eyed green youngster with a characteristic two-tooth grin and a can-do attitude. Pointy, who matches Tiny’s cuteness with downturned, questioning eyebrows, is often at the receiving end of Tiny’s mayhem, but it’s all in good fun. Fleck’s minimalist illustrations feature a palette with spring pastels. The simple text and short length make this book ideal for younger toddlers; caregivers eager to see more of the familiar character or anyone seeking Easter-themed fare for their little ones will be pleased.
A warm and comforting springtime outing with a puny but persistent protagonist. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781797233246
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Not a great choice for the youngest dinosaur lovers.
A board-book ode to parental love as old as the dinosaurs.
A line of text on the left of each spread reads like a dinosaur-themed valentine that a third grader might choose, with punishingly punny wordplay that incorporates dinosaur-related words. On the facing page a dinosaur pair—a baby and an adult—gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes against whimsical, pastel-hued prehistoric-ish backgrounds. In smaller print, in all caps, at the bottom of the left page is the scientific name for the dinosaur referenced by the text and picture followed by a helpful phonetic pronunciation guide. White-outlined footprints appear next to their names, though the white is sometimes difficult to see against the pastel pages. Ten of the best-known dinosaurs are included. Twisting the dinosaur names to fit the loving sentiments succeeds some of the time but more often results in tortured text, well beyond the understanding of the board book audience. The line accompanying two hugging velociraptors, for instance, is just confusing: “Wrap-TOR arms around me, / with you I’ll always stay.” Others are just plain clumsy: “I-wanna-GUANODON you kisses, / I truly just adore you.” Very young children, even those fascinated by dinosaurs, will not get it. Older dinosaur fans will be put off by the babyish format.
Not a great choice for the youngest dinosaur lovers. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2295-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver.
The farmyard's chickens experience Halloween.
A round, full moon shines in the sky, and the chickens of Boynton's barnyard are feeling “nervous.” Pumpkins shine “with flickering eyes,” witches and wizards wander the pastures, and one chicken has seen “a mouse of enormous size.” It’s Halloween night, and readers will delight as the chickens huddle together and try to figure out what's going on. All ends well, of course, and in Boynton's trademark silly style. (It’s really quite remarkable how her ranks of white, yellow-beaked chickens evoke rows of candy corn.) At this point parents and children know what they're in for when they pick up a book by the prolific author, and she doesn't disappoint here. The chickens are silly, the pigs are cute, and the coloring and illustrations evoke a warmth that little ones wary of Halloween will appreciate. For children leery of the ghouls and goblins lurking in the holiday's iconography, this is a perfect antidote, emphasizing all the fun Halloween has to offer.
An excellent, rounded effort from a creator who knows how to deliver. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-7611-9300-5
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Workman
Review Posted Online: Sept. 18, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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