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T. VEG by Smriti Prasadam-Halls Kirkus Star

T. VEG

The Story of a Carrot-Crunching Dinosaur

by Smriti Prasadam-Halls ; illustrated by Katherina Manolessou

Pub Date: May 2nd, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4197-2494-7
Publisher: Abrams

Reg loves to munch the veg—unfortunately he’s a T. Rex.

“Reginald the T. Rex had a fierce and mighty roar! / His fierce and mighty footsteps thundered through the jungle floor.” He’s excellent at tooth-gnashing and leaping, but there is one thing that differentiates him from his fellow T. Rexes: “while the other T. Rexes munched on juicy steak… // Reginald the T. Rex ate crunchy carrot cake!” He tells them about the wonders of delicious broccoli, grapes, mangos, parsnips, and a host of other veggies and fruit—but his parents worry about him and others laugh at him. Reg goes in search of other herbivores, but they’re scared of him. Meanwhile, his family and friends miss him. A near disaster on their hunt for Reg brings everyone back together, and they have a veggie party. British author Prasadam-Halls rhymes up a rollicking tale of vegetarianism and individuality. Messages of acceptance of difference and healthy eating are intrinsic to character and story. Ingenious rhymes (with British pronunciations) make for a fun and funny read aloud. Manolessou’s bright purple, green, and orange dinosaurs pop off the pages and may just get listeners up and moving to mimic the dancing, jumping, and running dinos.

“Because they know it’s true… / The best thing in the world is being happy being you!” (Picture book. 4-8)