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DINOSAURS

All of the dinos, even T. Rex, sport friendly smiles that will undoubtedly be mirrored on the faces of any toddler in visual...

From the late, great Taback, a half-dozen burly dinos on sturdy foldout squares.

The latest—though evidently not the last, despite the author’s passing at the end of 2011—in a series of animal board books follows its predecessors in hiding each creature behind successive foldouts with clues in large letters: “Who am I? / I have a long tail… / and a long neck. / I’m a BRACHIOSAURUS!” Ultimately unfolding to four times its trim size, each portrait poses a spotted, brightly colored, simply drawn and appropriately monumental-looking dinosaur in a minimally detailed setting backed with strongly contrasting color fields. The polysyllabic punchlines make the guessing game even more fun.

All of the dinos, even T. Rex, sport friendly smiles that will undoubtedly be mirrored on the faces of any toddler in visual range. (Board book. 2-4)

Pub Date: April 1, 2012

ISBN: 978-1-60905-212-6

Page Count: 20

Publisher: Blue Apple

Review Posted Online: April 17, 2012

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NOISY DINOSAURS

From the My First Touch and Feel Sound Book series

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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TWINKLE, TWINKLE, DINOSAUR

From the Twinkle, Twinkle series

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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