Patrick’s beloved dinosaurs (Patrick’s Dinosaurs, illustrated by Donald Carrick, 1983, etc.) enter the new millennium with an updated imaginative flight. Patrick, who locates dinosaurs on the Internet, is unaware that the dinosaurs have been observing him from their own planet; he is whisked away one night by the friendly Flato in a “giant bumblebee” of a spaceship. When Patrick lands in a dinosaur schoolyard, a clever role reversal takes place and he finds himself the human equivalent of dinosaur “show and tell.” In one particularly funny moment, Patrick is grilled with questions such as, “What is it like to be warm-blooded? Did you hatch from an egg? What is your favorite food?” A soccer game ensues, shadowed by the arrival of a foot-stomping, tree-cracking tyrannosaurus rex. Patrick is hustled back aboard the spaceship, and lands safely back in his own bedroom, where, instead of stars, he dreams of dinosaurs. The interwoven dinosaur facts of the earlier books are absent here, other than identifying a few plant-eaters, and the author still refers to the apatopsaurus as a brontosaurus. Nevertheless, dinosaur-enthusiasts will welcome the return of their long-necked, personable friends, which Milgrim depicts as cuddly, cartoon-like, Barneyesque blue, green, and purple creatures. (Picture book. 3-7)
Pub Date: Sept. 20, 1999
ISBN: 0-395-50949-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1999
This modest, agreeable entry in the My First Look At series shows the life cycle of a mallard duck nesting in an urban park. The text is cumulative, so the line on the first page, “This is the park where Paul plays,” is echoed on the second, “These are the ducks that swim in the park where Paul plays.” In the spring the ducks arrive; they grow all summer long, and fly away in the autumn. Listeners will enjoy the spare, rhythmic telling, while the softly colored drawings of Paul, a shaggy-haired preschooler, are appealing. Additional information, obviously aimed at older readers or for adults to share with children, appears under the flap on each page. (Picture book. 4-7)
Pub Date: April 1, 1999
ISBN: 1-55074-613-8
Page Count: 20
Publisher: Kids Can
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1999
From the tunnels of ants to the Chunnel connecting England with France, this lively tour of constructed tunnels highlights their variety as it explores their uses and manufacture. Hunter (Into the Sky, 1998, etc.) urges readers along, sprinkling a compact text with entertaining facts—“If you take a train from New York to Los Angeles, you’ll go through 65 mountain tunnels”—and asides. Miller’s cross-sectional illustrations are rendered with solid colors, long, straight lines, and sharp color boundaries, for an orderly, layered look that conveys plenty of activity without seeming cluttered. Younger fans of the wheeled vehicles that are visible here in profusion will want repeat readings. (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-7)
Pub Date: March 15, 1999
ISBN: 0-8234-1391-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Holiday House
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1999
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Follow
Popular in this Genre
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
