Large collections with popular dinosaur sections may want to add this, but otherwise, it is one to miss.
Oldland provides dinosaur lovers who are learning to count down from 10 with some fodder, but there is no story here, nor a capital letter to speak of.
Beginning with 10 and counting down to “none / no dinosaurs / (they’re extinct, silly!),” Oldland presents readers with some good word choices and vocabulary: towering, lumbering, rearing. The eight “munching herbivores” have plants in their mouths, but the four “roaring carnivores” just have open mouths full of teeth. Sadly, a glossary is lacking. The featured species include Deinosuchus, pterodactyls, Deinonychus, Tyrannosaurus and Stegosaurus. The black-outlined Photoshopped dinosaurs will be the draw for kids. Patterned in earth tones of greens, browns and tans, they feature dots, stripes and splotches, along with somewhat goofy (and toothy) grins. They are easy to count against the stark white background, although some pages have more than the stated number: “ten / striding velociraptors / (and one looming predator)” and “seven / sauntering parasaurolophus / (and what’s that flying overhead?).” The creatures fill each spread, with the numeral in the top left-hand corner, the text on the right. A pronunciation guide is given, but parents just joining the dino bandwagon will have to flip back and forth, as it is on the last page, and, unfortunately, there is no further information about the dinosaurs.
Large collections with popular dinosaur sections may want to add this, but otherwise, it is one to miss. (Picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Aug. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-55453-834-8
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: June 26, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 2012
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it.
A succession of animal dads do their best to teach their young to say “Dada” in this picture-book vehicle for Fallon.
A grumpy bull says, “DADA!”; his calf moos back. A sad-looking ram insists, “DADA!”; his lamb baas back. A duck, a bee, a dog, a rabbit, a cat, a mouse, a donkey, a pig, a frog, a rooster, and a horse all fail similarly, spread by spread. A final two-spread sequence finds all of the animals arrayed across the pages, dads on the verso and children on the recto. All the text prior to this point has been either iterations of “Dada” or animal sounds in dialogue bubbles; here, narrative text states, “Now everybody get in line, let’s say it together one more time….” Upon the turn of the page, the animal dads gaze round-eyed as their young across the gutter all cry, “DADA!” (except the duckling, who says, “quack”). Ordóñez's illustrations have a bland, digital look, compositions hardly varying with the characters, although the pastel-colored backgrounds change. The punch line fails from a design standpoint, as the sudden, single-bubble chorus of “DADA” appears to be emanating from background features rather than the baby animals’ mouths (only some of which, on close inspection, appear to be open). It also fails to be funny.
Plotless and pointless, the book clearly exists only because its celebrity author wrote it. (Picture book. 3-5)Pub Date: June 9, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-250-00934-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Review Posted Online: April 14, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
Young dino fans will enjoy it, though their grown-ups may not.
What sounds did dinosaurs make? We don't really know.
Litton suggests some possibilities while introducing sophisticated vocabulary in a board-book format. Five dinosaurs are featured: Tyrannosaurus rex, Stegosaurus, Pterodactyl, Diplodocus, and Triceratops. For each species there is a brief description that highlights its distinctive features, followed by an invitation to hear and repeat the dinosaur's sound. There is no explanation for why scientists think T. Rex “roared,” Stegosaurus “howled,” Pterodactyl “screeched,” Diplodocus “growled,” or Triceratops “grunted.” The author tries to avoid sexism, carefully referring to two of the creatures as “she,” but those two are also described in stereotypically less-ferocious terms than the male dinos. The touch point on the Pterodactyl is a soft section of wing. Readers are told that Diplodocus “loved splashing in swamps,” and the instruction is to “tickle her tummy to hear her growl,” implying that this giant creature was gentle and friendly. None of this may matter to young paleontologists, who will enjoy finding the tactile section on each creature that triggers the sound. Despite extensive directions in small print, most parents and libraries won't bother to change the battery secured by a tiny hex screw, but while the battery lasts, the book will get lots of play.
Young dino fans will enjoy it, though their grown-ups may not. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-58925-207-3
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Aug. 4, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2016
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