Will doubtless leave young readers and viewers flushed with excitement.
Fresh (if that’s the word) from excretory adventures in outer space (see The Dinosaur That Pooped a Planet, 2017), Danny and his craptastic dino companion undertake further effluvial exploits in the Jurassic.
Having discovered that the swing in Granny’s yard is a time machine, the white boy and the dino find themselves in deep soup when it breaks—stranding them in the distant past right next to an erupting volcano. With help from a trio of mischievous tykes dubbed “Dino Dudes A, B, and C,” the very images of pop-eyed, primary-colored cuteness in the cartoon illustrations, repairs are made…but how to get the required push? Having previously chowed down on Granny’s broccoli eggs and Brussels sprouts, it’s time for Dinosaur to do his thing: “The poop came out fast; it had broccoli power, / And launched them to eighty-eight miles per hour.” Back through the eras they fly (“The Romans and Trojans were covered in poop; / They all got a taste of Gran’s broccoli soup”), with the Dudes tagging along, to arrive back at Gran’s just in time for slices of, yes, broccoli cake. Parsons renders the prehistoric lava with an evocatively red and glutinous look, and if the gusher that flows out of Dinosaur’s butt is counterintuitively orange, it’s still a revolting sight. That the rhyme seems often to be in thrall to tortured scansion is probably a minor consideration.
Will doubtless leave young readers and viewers flushed with excitement. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: March 13, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4814-9868-5
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Aladdin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 21, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A muddy message about stick-to-itiveness salvaged by a winsome dino duo.
Tiny T. Rex and Pointy the stegosaurus overcome their fears and inexperience to participate in the talent show.
Inspired by the Amazing Presto, enthusiastic Tiny and apprehensive Pointy decide to do a magic act. They don top hats and wield wands, select their magic word, and enlist the help of their special assistant, Bob the teddy bear. At first, the pair expect the magic to just happen, but after careful planning and creative thinking, they find a way to make their disappearing trick work. Nervous Pointy pulls out of the performance at the last minute but in the end finds the courage to appear on stage—as Tiny puts it, “Sometimes the grandest ta-da is not making something disappear. It is when someone who disappeared bravely comes back.” Stutzman’s story touches on hard work and preparation, feelings of anxiety, and perseverance. Tiny does the majority of the narration with brief interjections from Pointy. As a result, aside from facial expressions, readers mostly learn how Pointy feels through Tiny. Because the story never shows Pointy working through fears or uncertainties, some may find the resolution a bit too easily wrapped up. Still, the two are a charming pair. Fleck’s illustrations feature sweet dinos with Tiny’s recognizable toothy grin, bright colors, and a cute supporting cast of characters. (This book was reviewed digitally.)
A muddy message about stick-to-itiveness salvaged by a winsome dino duo. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: April 11, 2023
ISBN: 978-1-45218-488-3
Page Count: 52
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 23, 2022
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Well-trodden dino turf, but the grass is still fairly green.
A tongue-in-cheek look at some of the many ways that idle household dinosaurs can be put to work.
Jack casts a host of cartoon dinosaurs—most of them humongous, nearly all smiling and candy bright of hue—in roles as can openers, potato mashers, yard sweepers, umbrellas on rainy days, snowplows, garbage collectors, and like helpers or labor savers. Even babysitters, though, as Bailey aptly notes, “not all dinosaurs are suited to this work.” Still, “[t]he possibilities are amazing!” And even if there aren’t any handy dinos around, she concludes, any live-in octopus, sasquatch, kangaroo or other creature can be likewise exploited. A bespectacled, woolly-haired boy who looks rather a lot like Weird Al Yankovic serves as dino-wrangler in chief, heading up a multiethnic cast of kids who enjoy the dinosaurs’ services. As with all books of this ilk, the humor depends on subtextual visual irony. A group of kids happily flying pterosaur kites sets up a gag featuring a little boy holding a limp string tied to the tail of a grumpy-looking stegosaurus. Changes on this premise have been run over and over since Bernard Most’s If the Dinosaurs Came Back (1978), and though this iteration doesn’t have any fresh twists to offer, at least it’s bright and breezy enough to ward off staleness.
Well-trodden dino turf, but the grass is still fairly green. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: May 13, 2014
ISBN: 978-1-77049-568-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Tundra Books
Review Posted Online: March 30, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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