Not much to sink one’s teeth into but toddler dino lovers won’t mind.
It’s a hunt to find the T. rex among the other prehistoric reptiles in this book, which combines descriptive clues, peekaboo cutouts, and felt flaps.
As readers search for the fearsome theropod, this colorful board book also introduces a pterodactyl, a diplodocus, a triceratops, and a stegosaurus. Readers lift flaps and take hints until at last they discover their quarry beneath a yellow, egg-shaped piece of felt. The felt flaps are well suited to eager little hands; while a determined-enough toddler may be able to tear a flap from the book as, say, a T. rex tears into its prey, they are certainly sturdier than paper flaps. Each cutout incorporates glimpses of the felt flap on the next page. A flash of pale-green felt viewed through a tail-shaped die cut accompanies the question “Could this be T-rex in the trees?” A page turn reveals the full, bush-shaped flap, behind which sits a smiling triceratops. Each dinosaur’s full image appears with its name and a phonetic spelling—with, oddly, the exception of “Tyrannosaurus rex.” Willmore’s illustrations are bright and inviting with pops of lime green, deep orange, fuchsia, and turquoise. Though the T. rex features described may be fanciful rather than scientific (“spiky back,” “scaly head”) in this playful context, it seems fair game. Companion title Let’s Find the Mermaid follows the same format, though the clues are clearer, making for more successful guesses.
Not much to sink one’s teeth into but toddler dino lovers won’t mind. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68010-599-5
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
Not a great choice for the youngest dinosaur lovers.
A board-book ode to parental love as old as the dinosaurs.
A line of text on the left of each spread reads like a dinosaur-themed valentine that a third grader might choose, with punishingly punny wordplay that incorporates dinosaur-related words. On the facing page a dinosaur pair—a baby and an adult—gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes against whimsical, pastel-hued prehistoric-ish backgrounds. In smaller print, in all caps, at the bottom of the left page is the scientific name for the dinosaur referenced by the text and picture followed by a helpful phonetic pronunciation guide. White-outlined footprints appear next to their names, though the white is sometimes difficult to see against the pastel pages. Ten of the best-known dinosaurs are included. Twisting the dinosaur names to fit the loving sentiments succeeds some of the time but more often results in tortured text, well beyond the understanding of the board book audience. The line accompanying two hugging velociraptors, for instance, is just confusing: “Wrap-TOR arms around me, / with you I’ll always stay.” Others are just plain clumsy: “I-wanna-GUANODON you kisses, / I truly just adore you.” Very young children, even those fascinated by dinosaurs, will not get it. Older dinosaur fans will be put off by the babyish format.
Not a great choice for the youngest dinosaur lovers. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2295-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
Despite some glitches in the scansion and lack of originality, this outing goes down pretty easily.
This familiar dinosaur series takes a look at a favorite treat.
From the trip to the grocery store through consumption, these cookies present a satisfying crunch. There's male and female supervision (of both baking and the dinos themselves); one lady works in the kitchen in dress and pearls. Yolen's now-familiar rhythm loses some of its lightness in occasionally forced rhymes. “Does a dinosaur grab for a cookie that's hot? / No, that's something that he does decidedly NOT!” Scratch-and-sniff elements add sweet smells. For budding pastry chefs old enough to mix the ingredients, the addition of two recipes may provide inspiration (“Ask an adult to help you bake”). In the spirit of the series, there is a heavy focus on manners (and sweets in moderation) as the dinos devour their goodies; they drink milk daintily and hold the bag of chocolate chips in the supermarket instead of ripping it open.
Despite some glitches in the scansion and lack of originality, this outing goes down pretty easily. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-545-38253-3
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Cartwheel/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: June 12, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2012
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