Whimsical, imaginative, and highly entertaining.
Louis’ class report on his favorite pet surprises everyone.
Enthusiastically launching his presentation on Mammuthus rockus, the rock mammoth, Louis provides background on prehistoric mammoths, digressing to the Icelandic researcher Voïvoden Mamouten, who discovered the species. Telling his classmates rock mammoths disappeared mysteriously, he goes into a lengthy definition of what constitutes a mystery and a hypothesis, frustrating his teacher, who urges him to get back to his report. Louis then reviews various hypotheses on why rock mammoths disappeared, culminating with his own that they simply went into hiding. Explaining he’s read every library book on mammoths and including a selected bibliography, Louis describes in detail his scientific expedition in search of a rock mammoth. Recess comes and goes, with the class amazed and teacher incredulous. When Louis finally announces his discovery, the teacher demands proof. Does Louis have a real rock mammoth or just a great imagination? While the amusing text offers scientific data about mammoths as well as a playful introduction to the scientific method, Mammuthus rockus appears to be a phantom species. Using the format of a school notebook containing Louis’ hilarious marginal notes and diagrams reinforces the classroom venue and enhances the comic visual presentation of unflappable Louis and his very cool rock mammoth.
Whimsical, imaginative, and highly entertaining. (Fiction. 7-10)Pub Date: April 21, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-4598-2426-3
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Orca
Review Posted Online: Jan. 11, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2020
Adventures and misadventures, Old West style—but with dinos.
Young Josh needs to up his ride if he’s going to win the Trihorn settlement’s 100th-anniversary Founders’ Day race and meet his hero, Terrordactyl Bill.
Set on the Lost Plains, where ranchers tend to herds of iguanodons, and horses (if there were any) would be easy pickings for the local predators, this series kickoff pits a brash lad and sidekick and schoolmates Sam and Abi against not only the requisite bully, but such fiercer adversaries as attacking pterodactyls. Josh’s first challenge after eagerly entering the race is finding a faster, nimbler steed than his steady but old gallimimus, Plodder. Along comes Charge—an aptly named, if not-quite-fully-trained triceratops with speed, brains, and, it turns out, a streak of loyalty that saves Josh’s bacon both here and in a simultaneously publishing sequel, How To Rope a Giganotosaurus, which prominently features T. Rex’s much larger cousin. Dare adds a map, as well as spot illustrations of rural Western types (Josh and Abi are white, Sam has dark skin and tightly curled hair) astride toothy, brightly patterned dinos. In both adventures Josh weathers regular encounters with dinosaur dung, snot, and gas as well as threats to life and limb to show up the aforementioned bully and emerge a hero.
Adventures and misadventures, Old West style—but with dinos. (Fantasy. 8-10)Pub Date: April 4, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4926-4668-6
Page Count: 128
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Jan. 16, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2017
The title question is answered engagingly with comparisons of a handful of dinosaurs to objects and animals children will readily recognize.
Velociraptor, spreading terror in audiences since the first Jurassic Park movie, was only the size of a dog, though still pretty vicious. Stegosaurus was as heavy as three cows, but the plates on its back made it look much bigger. Argentinosaurus was the length of four school buses, but at least it was a vegetarian—it ate trees. Images of these dinos next to children, adults and common objects (note the SUV crushed by Ankylosaurus) on white backgrounds are not only amusing, but give a real sense of scale. All the people, animals and dinosaurs that populate these pages appear again, to scale, in a wonderful double foldout. Colors are clean and clear, outlines are crisp. Judge also describes how she figured out the relative sizes of the dinosaurs by studying fossils and skeletons at various museums, and she offers a very brief book and website bibliography. Perhaps a favorite might be Tsintaosaurus, which had a spike “like a giant unicorn” growing out of its head. Dino-philes, assemble! (Informational picture book. 7-10)
Pub Date: Aug. 27, 2013
ISBN: 978-1-59643-719-7
Page Count: 46
Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
Review Posted Online: Oct. 22, 2013
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