DINO-ZOMBIES!

Trick-or-treating dino-zombies get their fill of Halloween candy and fun.

“On Halloween they come alive, / and they need sugar to survive,” and so the undead rise. There’s a zombie-dactyl, a bronto-zombie, and of course, a zombie-saurus rex, among others. They are all wearing costumes, their gaping abdominal cavities and open ribcages exposing a hoard of sweets. After trick-or-treating and hitting a festive party, they head home for their jammies and a movie. In Chrustowski’s hands, these are approachable, even cute dino-zombies, drawn in bright greens and purples, with yellow bug eyes and friendly grins, nothing too gory or scary. The rhyming text bounces along, matching the joyful spirit of the chomping dino-zombies. Readers will enjoy looking over the illustrations for fun details, like the zombie-raptor that pulls an entire pumpkinful of treats from the spino-zombie’s insides, later leaving the party with three pumpkins swinging from its tail. There’s even the all-black silhouette of a bat or two and buzzing flies to find on each layout. Kids will love how the dino-zombies consume their treats with abandon, and adults will secretly smile about their own tired trick-or-treating zombies that they tuck into bed on Halloween night. It’s all good, predictable fun. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

This story about the extinct undead really comes alive.