Not much to sink one’s teeth into but toddler dino lovers won’t mind.
It’s a hunt to find the T. rex among the other prehistoric reptiles in this book, which combines descriptive clues, peekaboo cutouts, and felt flaps.
As readers search for the fearsome theropod, this colorful board book also introduces a pterodactyl, a diplodocus, a triceratops, and a stegosaurus. Readers lift flaps and take hints until at last they discover their quarry beneath a yellow, egg-shaped piece of felt. The felt flaps are well suited to eager little hands; while a determined-enough toddler may be able to tear a flap from the book as, say, a T. rex tears into its prey, they are certainly sturdier than paper flaps. Each cutout incorporates glimpses of the felt flap on the next page. A flash of pale-green felt viewed through a tail-shaped die cut accompanies the question “Could this be T-rex in the trees?” A page turn reveals the full, bush-shaped flap, behind which sits a smiling triceratops. Each dinosaur’s full image appears with its name and a phonetic spelling—with, oddly, the exception of “Tyrannosaurus rex.” Willmore’s illustrations are bright and inviting with pops of lime green, deep orange, fuchsia, and turquoise. Though the T. rex features described may be fanciful rather than scientific (“spiky back,” “scaly head”) in this playful context, it seems fair game. Companion title Let’s Find the Mermaid follows the same format, though the clues are clearer, making for more successful guesses.
Not much to sink one’s teeth into but toddler dino lovers won’t mind. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: March 17, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-68010-599-5
Page Count: 12
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: March 24, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 15, 2020
This will have readers putting on their dancing shoes to do the “cha cha cha” with their dino-babies
It's not the first time dinosaurs have been featured in a clever Boynton board book. It seems she—and we—can't get enough.
As her fans know, Boynton has a sly wit that respects the intelligence of her young fans and amuses the adults asked to “read it again.” In this book she introduces nine dinosaurs, each of which dances in a way that seems totally appropriate for that particular species. “The blue Stegosaurus goes SHIMMY SHIMMY SHAKE. / The red Brontosaurus goes QUIVERY QUAKE.” Drawing on her experience as a children’s musician, she writes a text that trips along like a song with rhymes that make sense but don't intrude. The illustrations, typical Boynton, reflect her greeting-card background. They are cartoonish but manage to capture the unique personality of each creature. The unnamed dinosaur narrator looks genuinely distraught at not being able to name the “tiny little dino” that “goes DEEDLY DEE.” Spoiler alert: the tiny little dinosaur is probably Compsognathus and would be about the size of a small chicken. Young dinophiles would be impressed if the dinosaurologists in their lives could supply that factoid, but alas, they will have to look it up.
This will have readers putting on their dancing shoes to do the “cha cha cha” with their dino-babies . (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-4814-8099-4
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Little Simon/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 11, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2017
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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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