DINO PAJAMA PARTY

In a rollicking romp, dinosaurs in pajamas and onesies gather to get down, then lie down.

“Dinos roar, and dinos shriek. / Dinos boom, and dinos squeak. // Dinos singing extra loud / rush to join the dino crowd.” In cadences reminiscent of Paul and Henrietta Stickland’s classic (and sadly out-of-print) Dinosaur Roar! (1994), dinos of diverse species march into a park to swing and shake to the “rocking sound” of a prehistoric dance band…until the sun goes down, and all trail off to snoozeland: “Snug in bed, / they dance no more. // Fast asleep, / the dinos snore.” The light may dim, but the intensity of Robertson’s palette doesn’t as he depicts in loud hues stampedes of hustling herbivores and cavorting carnivores rushing along a small-town street, boogeying to the beat, gradually winding down, and ending up snuggled beneath cozy coverlets in a dino-dormitory. Even by the end the energy level may be a bit on the high side for an effective bedtime read-aloud, but it’ll serve as a welcome alternative after the quadrillionth reading of Sandra Boynton’s Dinosaur Dance! (2016) or as a quick charmer in a dinosaur- or dance-party–themed daylight storytime. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Who wouldn’t gladly boogie down to bed with, say, a toothy T. rex?