THE GOOD PLIOSAUR

In Patterson’s picture book, a pliosaur saves an arrogant plesiosaur from certain death.

Plesiosaurs and pliosaurs are ocean-dwelling dinosaurs who once “fought in terrible wars…But these days they are mostly just rude.” Plesiosaurs have long, strong necks, which they use to catch pterodactyls; short-necked pliosaurs trawl the ocean depths, hunting stingrays and crabs. Brett, a narrowminded purple plesiosaur, bows to fellow plesiosaurs but holds his neck straight and aloof when he swims past pliosaurs. When Brett heads into the ocean depths to use the cooking vents there, bandits attack and leave him with a boulder pinning his neck. Two plesiosaurs pass by but refuse to help. Then Kyle, a green pliosaur returning from the vents, unpins Brett, carries him to the hospital, and even pays his medical bills. Ashamed of his past treatment of pliosaurs, Brett becomes Kyle’s friend. Patterson offers dynamic, unrhymed text, presented alongside Calden’s vignetted illustrations. The storytelling conveys Brett’s insular smugness with light touches that keep the moral from being overbearing; young readers, for instance, will be amused when a “doctopus” treats Brett. Calden’s watercolors are equally on point, capturing the ocean’s wavery essence as well as Brett’s youthful folly in accepting old biases. Delightful background details, such as deep-sea anglerfish casting light on Brett’s plight, ensure rereadability.

A sweet story about empathy and reciprocity, and an effective critique of human prejudice.