Both dinophiles and lovers of big machines will dig this natural storytime companion to Frann Preston-Gannon’s Dinosaur Farm...
Dinos plow, fertilize, harvest, herd, pick, pull, pack, and build on the farm.
The prehistoric crew from Dinosaur Pirates! (2017) and its predecessors fire up the farm machinery and roar off to tend fields and livestock, put up fence posts, lay down fertilizer, and, when the time comes, gather in a bountiful harvest of lambs and piggies, fruits and veggies to display at a “farm show.” To jagged lines of alliterative text that are big on sound effects—“Dirty dinosaurs digging, digging up the muddy carrots. The muddy carrots to be washed and weighed. Clatter! Clatter! Clatter!”—Dale pairs rural scenes crowded with modern farm animals seemingly unfazed by the more or less human-sized dinos who, many sporting impressive dentifrices as well as a dazzling array of skin colors and patterns, are hard at work all around. It’s a little odd to see relatively tiny, toothy theropods operating relatively large farm equipment, but once readers become used to it, it’s hard not to get a chuckle out of two reptilian farmers trading waves as they till their neighboring fields. Two little pigs sneak out of the pen in the first full scene, and readers will enjoy spying them in unlikely places in the subsequent ones. Labeled galleries fore and aft identify both the 10 dinosaurs and the nine types of harvesters and other heavy machines that feature in the illustrations.
Both dinophiles and lovers of big machines will dig this natural storytime companion to Frann Preston-Gannon’s Dinosaur Farm (2014). (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: June 4, 2019
ISBN: 978-0-7636-9936-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Nosy Crow
Review Posted Online: April 9, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2019
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies.
Pigeon finds something better to drive than some old bus.
This time it’s Santa delivering the fateful titular words, and with a “Ho. Ho. Whoa!” the badgering begins: “C’mon! Where’s your holiday spirit? It would be a Christmas MIRACLE! Don’t you want to be part of a Christmas miracle…?” Pigeon is determined: “I can do Santa stuff!” Like wrapping gifts (though the accompanying illustration shows a rather untidy present), delivering them (the image of Pigeon attempting to get an oversize sack down a chimney will have little ones giggling), and eating plenty of cookies. Alas, as Willems’ legion of young fans will gleefully predict, not even Pigeon’s by-now well-honed persuasive powers (“I CAN BE JOLLY!”) will budge the sleigh’s large and stinky reindeer guardian. “BAH. Also humbug.” In the typically minimalist art, the frustrated feathered one sports a floppily expressive green and red elf hat for this seasonal addition to the series—but then discards it at the end for, uh oh, a pair of bunny ears. What could Pigeon have in mind now? “Egg delivery, anyone?”
A stocking stuffer par excellence, just right for dishing up with milk and cookies. (Picture book. 4-6)Pub Date: Sept. 5, 2023
ISBN: 9781454952770
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Union Square Kids
Review Posted Online: Sept. 12, 2023
Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their...
Less ambitious than Chris Gall’s widely known Dinotrux (2009) and sequels, this British import systematically relegates each dinosaur/construction-equipment hybrid to its most logical job.
The title figures are introduced as bigger than both diggers and dinosaurs, and rhyming text and two construction-helmeted kids show just what these creatures are capable of. Each diggersaur has a specific job to do and a distinct sound effect. The dozersaurus moves rocks with a “SCRAAAAPE!!!” while the rollersaurus flattens lumps with a cheery “TOOT TOOT!!” Each diggersaur is numbered, with 12 in all, allowing this to be a counting book on the sly. As the diggersaurs (not all of which dig) perform jobs that regular construction equipment can do, albeit on a larger scale, there is no particular reason why any of them should have dinosaurlike looks other than just ’cause. Peppy computer art tries valiantly to attract attention away from the singularly unoriginal text. “Diggersaurs dig with bites so BIG, / each SCOOP creates a crater. // They’re TOUGH and STRONG / with necks so long— / they’re super EXCAVATORS!” Far more interesting are the two human characters, a white girl and a black boy, that flit about the pictures offering commentary and action. Much of the fun of the book can be found in trying to spot them on every two-page spread.
Count on construction die-hards falling in love, but discerning readers would be wise to look elsewhere for their dino/construction kicks. (Picture book. 3-6)Pub Date: April 2, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-9848-4779-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Random House
Review Posted Online: Jan. 14, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2019
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