Kudos to this prehistoric Buzz Lightyear…long may he sail the spaceways.
The space-roving dinosaur and his scaly crew return at last for another awesome rescue mission.
Jam-packed with near disasters, death-defying feats, and gleefully melodramatic art, this latest adventure (over 10 long years since Captain Raptor and the Space Pirates!) sends the mighty spaceship Megatooth hurtling toward Pyros Prime, where a small band of research scientists is threatened by the imminent eruption of supervolcano Mount Bleak. To the oft-repeated chorus of “Could this be the end of Captain Raptor?” the doughty dino roars down to a rough landing, weathers attacks from both a humongous Cobrasaurus and a swooping Vulturous, crosses a lambent lake of lava to snatch the beleaguered scientists (meek mammals all), and rejoins his shipmates to rocket off in the nick of time, blasting through a shower of falling asteroids just as all Pyros Prime bursts apart in a titanic explosion. “Never a dull moment,” says he, as news of an unspecified catastrophe on distant Seti Beta Six sets the stage for a fresh set of epic exploits. “Onward to the stars!” In the squared-off, lavishly detailed scenes, outsized monsters and laser-wielding warriors in riveted body armor battle through murky landscapes and caverns lit from below by glowing lava.
Kudos to this prehistoric Buzz Lightyear…long may he sail the spaceways. (Graphic picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: Sept. 18, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-58089-809-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2018
Readers and listeners with a taste for the quietly surreal may find this an (almost) perfect option; the rest will find...
Bruno, an anthropomorphic cat whose yellow eyeballs and hipster vibe may remind readers of Pete the Cat, recounts experiences with friends new and old in this French import.
Small, gray Bruno walks upright and wears a blue-checked cap on his oversized head. Valckx divides the first-person narrative into six chapters of varying lengths. Each describes a day in Bruno’s life, whether odd, damp, sans electricity, dumb, boring, or pretty great. On the first, “peculiar” day, Bruno and his friend “Ringo, the old pony,” meet a fish flying through the air then visit her underwater world. The day without power is candlelit and cozy, recounted in just two pages. The rainy day includes a narrow escape from a hungry wolf, and the almost perfect one offers opportunities to play with friends, enjoy ice cream, and (almost) do a good deed. The deadpan tone contrasts humorously with the unlikely events and the quirky all-animal cast. Sophisticated vocabulary and an episodic plot, as well as the relatively lengthy format, suggest that this will be most accessible to older listeners. Hubesch’s cartoon-style illustrations, with a palette dominated by blues and creams and slightly wobbly linework that recalls William Steig, feature vaguely European-looking cityscapes and a wide variety of species.
Readers and listeners with a taste for the quietly surreal may find this an (almost) perfect option; the rest will find other ways to fill their days, and that’s OK. (Fiction. 7-9)Pub Date: April 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-7765-7124-6
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Gecko Press
Review Posted Online: Feb. 13, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A limited but lively once-over for young dinophiles.
The resident expert of PBS Kids’ Dinosaur Train explains what fossil hunters do and study.
Sampson’s animated descriptions of where fossils are found, how paleontologists dig them up and transport them to museums for reconstruction and research, and what can be learned about dino diets and prehistoric habitats from teeth or other features offer a simplified but enticing view of the work and some of its rewards. Though the author leaves out any direct mention of the academic training that professional paleontologists must undergo, he mentions several techniques and activities that won’t be beyond even younger amateurs—and also touts the general value of getting outdoors and “playing in nature.” Children with a modicum of familiarity with the subject will find the exclamation mark–strewn text patronizing, and they will yawn at the hyped revelation at the end that turns out to be the less-than-fresh news that birds are dino descendants. The enthusiastic text is accompanied by photos of scientists (all apparently white, nearly all male) at work in field and lab, with occasional portraits of fleshed-out dinosaurs in prehistoric settings to crank up the drama.
A limited but lively once-over for young dinophiles. (glossary) (Informational picture book. 7-9)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4263-2728-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: National Geographic Kids
Review Posted Online: March 5, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2017
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