Nature, plush in tooth and claw.
Baby T. rex goes looking for his mommy.
As the little dino searches, readers can lift sturdy, shaped flaps on the right side of each double-page spread to see what Baby T. rex finds behind a rock and other obstacles. Doing this not only exposes a different pop-up dinosaur each time, but also offers an unusual vocabulary-building exercise for toddlers, as they uncover in turn “Baby Alamosaurus (al-uh-mo-SAW-russ),” “Baby Acheroraptor (AHR-kee-ro-RAP-tor),” “Baby Triceratops (try-serra-tops),” and “Baby Ankylosaurus (an-KYE-lo-SAW-russ).” Sporting big eyes, knobbly plastic skins, and in some cases fuzzy coats of pinfeathers, the dinos look both toylike and realistically detailed. Better yet, Baby T. rex’s search comes to a gleefully terrifying end as, out from behind a cave-shaped flap, “Mommy T. rex” lurches up at viewers, toothy jaws agape. “Hooray!” No need for a pronunciation guide, either. Along the same lines, though with considerably less drama, the co-published Under the Sea features plushy Striped Fish, polka-dot Spotted Seahorse, and other nautical friends playing hide-and-seek behind a plastic boat, a purple treasure chest, and other obvious toys.
Nature, plush in tooth and claw. (Pop-up board book. 1-3)Pub Date: June 5, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4654-7455-1
Page Count: 12
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: June 10, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 1, 2018
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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