Fun from opening to clothes, err, close.
A small child doesn’t like getting dressed; luckily, his mama knows just what to do.
“ROAR!” A young, brown-skinned toddler with straight dark hair pretends to be a dinosaur, but his mother (also brown-skinned) needs to get him dressed for an outing. She gently suggests that he become a Diplodocus and “RUSH INTO THIS CAVE HEADFIRST”…the “cave” in question being the neck hole of the tyke’s jersey. To get him to slide his arms into the jersey’s sleeves, his mother encourages him to “BE A VELOCIRAPTOR AND REACH YOUR CLAWS IN TO GRAB SOME FISH.” Shirt on, the child is halfway there. In this playful fashion, pants, socks, and shoes follow. Mama employs the same tactics to get through tooth-brushing and getting the tot strapped into the car. The feisty youngster puts up a struggle every step of the way (“HRUMPF! DINOSAURS DON'T WEAR PANTS”) but clearly enjoys the imaginative play, assured of his mother’s unconditional love. Throughout the book, we see the child (and the mother) on the book’s verso pages, and on the recto pages we see the ever changing dinosaur version of him, swishing his tail, crashing through the jungle, and more. Pace’s illustrations are simple and serviceable with uncluttered backgrounds. Toddlers will relate to this entertaining depiction of a universal developmental challenge (i.e. learning how to get dressed) as well as the protagonist’s impassioned tantrums.
Fun from opening to clothes, err, close. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: March 1, 2022
ISBN: 978-1-64170-643-8
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Familius
Review Posted Online: Dec. 26, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2022
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
Amiable if slight.
In a text that can be sung to the tune of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star,” a young dinosaur plays with other prehistoric friends and gets ready for bed.
In this companion piece to Twinkle, Twinkle Unicorn (2019), each double-page spread features a friendly, green theropod with rosy cheeks watching pink pterosaurs fly, using a sauropod’s tail as a sliding board, and watching volcanoes explode in the night sky. As the sun sets, the dinosaur yawns and heads back home to two larger dinosaurs, one pink with eyelashes and one blue without, who appear to be mama and papa dinosaur respectively (did color stereotyping based on gender exist 65 million years ago? And why isn’t the protagonist dinosaur mauve?). Waring has arguably created the most benign and affable dinosaurs possible, with their perpetual smiles, rounded horns and teeth, oversized eyes, and brightly colored hides. Weighing in at only a slight 16 pages, the book runs through two modified verses of the classic, and the first scans quite fluidly. The second stanza feels a little forced to make it fit into the bedtime theme: “Twinkle, twinkle dinosaur, / the day is done. / It’s time to snore.”
Amiable if slight. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: May 28, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5344-3975-7
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 25, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 2019
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