TULIP

A dinosaur starts life among a group of birds in author/illustrator Campbell’s debut picture book.

A volcano erupts, sending an egg hurtling from a dinosaur’s nest into that of a kindly bird. She’s initially confused about the situation, but after all three eggs hatch, she does her best to raise the wingless dino, whom the narrator calls Tulip. Despite some early missteps—including a literal one, which dumps Tulip in the mud—the bird comes up with a life strategy for the reptilian creature: “You don’t have any wings, / but from right here on the ground / you can do so many things.” Tulip grows into a huge theropod while her bird siblings stay small; she becomes their protector and a renowned, joyful dancer. Campbell twists typical ugly-duckling tropes by having Tulip’s adoptive family immediately accept her and help her to see her own value. Campbell’s full-color images of prehistoric birds and pink, T. Rex–like Tulip are charmingly cartoonish. However, savvy readers may question why a T. Rex oddly builds a nest on a cliff or why a wooly mammoth appears during the Cretaceous period. The message that one may find an identity by embracing skills comes through clearly, and Campbell’s rhyming stanzas make for a smooth read-aloud.

A story that celebrates differences and will please many dinosaur-loving youngsters.