STOMP, SOAR, DINO ROAR

Dinosaur soundscapes dominate this unusual take on the familiar reptiles.

Beat boxers and any readers willing to try a vocal cord workout will have a field day with this book, which features the sounds of the late Cretaceous. “Shhheka shekaaa…shkraaack.” “Booouuush.” “Kerrr kaaaw kaaaw kerrr.” And that’s just the warm-up. After we meet Terri the Triceratops, who’s just broken out of her egg, we hear and then meet a crowd of her coevals, among them a “yowling” Saurolophus, several “prowling” Velociraptors, a pair of fighting Pachycephalosauruses, and a roaring Tyrannosaurus. In the one little pinch of plot, the unseen narrator, who describes events in a conversational tone, counsels Terri, face to face with the T. rex, to stay silent to avoid becoming lunch. But defiantly, Terri emits her own distinctive sound: “meep.” And still louder, precipitating a hasty Tyrannosaurus retreat. A tiny Triceratops triumph! Striking illustrations depict the dinosaurs in dramatic—but not impossible—colors and patterns. The book takes place over the course of a single day, which readers can trace by noting the color and position of the glowing sun (and then moon). Terri’s encounter with the T. rex coincides with a mauve and then indigo-dark night. Terri’s discreet appearances on most pages provide another interactive element; little ones will enjoy finding her on each spread. Backmatter explains how we know what these animals sounded like.

A boisterous invitation to roar, snort, and grunt like your favorite prehistoric creatures.