dinosaurs

3 Fantastic New Picture Books about Making Friends

| Tasha

Don’t Eat Eustace by Lian Cho (9780063321847)

Bear lived alone in a lighthouse. He spent his days fishing for lunch until one day he caught Eustace who begged him not to eat him. Bear also caught a colorful sail at the same time and almost threw it back into the sea. But when some other creatures need help, Bear finds himself helping out with Eustace’s encouragement. He makes a new wing for a heron, a coat for a shark, and a new sweater for himself. When evening comes Bear is very hungry and Eustace is already in the pot. What’s a bear to do? Cho has created a picture book that begs to be shared aloud. It has a wry sense of humor as Bear makes promises he has no intention of keeping. Meanwhile Eustace is trying to stay alive but along the way the two form a strong connection.

A book of new friends, crafts and funny fish. Appropriate for ages 3-6.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by HarperCollins.

Field Trip to Dinosaur Valley by John Hare (9780823459575)

A teacher takes a class of children back in time using a time machine. Once back in the time of dinosaurs, the machine transforms into a dino-like structure that walks the landscape giving the kids a perfect view of the valley. The teacher lectures along the way. When one student decides they need a snack though things get a bit wild. A stolen lunch box turns into one student falling out of the machine and getting left behind. As they make the best of it by sitting down and eating their lunch, a variety of dinosaurs emerge to share the lunch or potentially having the student FOR lunch! 

This nearly wordless book is great fun, offering a humorous look at a visit to the past that will have young children creating a story to go along with the pictures. The illustrations are full of bright colors, leaving the old green dinosaurs in the past in favor of bright dinos covered in patterns. The students and teacher are in protective suits and goggles, adding to the modern feel of the story.

A visit to the past with a slice of pizza and other snacks to share. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Margaret Ferguson Books.

Make New Friends by Joshua David Stein, illustrated by Mariachiara Di Giorgio (9781949480559)

Tomasso is a new kid in school. He doesn’t know anyone at all. His father keeps asking him if he’s made any friends yet and Tomasso admits, not yet. Then he discovers two old balls in the school playground. He gives each one a face and names them Roland and Barry. Eating along in the cafeteria, he gives his carton of milk a face and the name Coco. When his dad asks again about friends, Tomasso tells him about Roland, Barry and Coco, describing them like classmates. Soon he is finding new friends everywhere, including erasers, socks, rocks and paper bags. His father wants to meet all these new friends and insists that Tomasso invite them over. What will his father do when he finds out the truth? 

A lovely look at shyness and newness and the power of art and creativity to save the day. Stein writes with such sensitivity and understanding about Tomasso’s situation. There is a joy in discovering the new toy friends he creates. While I don’t want to spoil the ending, it is that part of the book where it all comes together and is very special indeed. The art adds to the joy of the toy friends and the found family story that is so powerful. 

Satisfying, art-filled and an antidote to loneliness. Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Edelweiss and Abrams Books for Young Readers.

One-Osaurus, Two-Osaurus by Kim Norman

| Tasha
Cover image.

One-Osaurus, Two-Osaurus by Kim Norman, illustrated by Pierre Collet-Derby (9781536201796)

Some dinosaurs start their morning with a counting game. “One-osaurus, two-osaurus, three-osaurus, four.” After counting to seven, a huge ROAR interrupts the counting. The dinosaurs gather together in a herd and then make a run for it, knowing that something big is heading their way. Soon they are all hiding behind their numbers, letting us count them one more time: one through nine. Where is ten? He’s coming now, he’s “ten-osaurus rex.” But he may not be what the readers expect when he is revealed and the book takes a great twist in the end too.

Norman’s simple writing begs to be shared aloud. This counting book really works well, the numbers on the page playing into the rhyming text and building with it. The pace is wild and romping, something that makes the counting all the more fun. Thanks to its clever structure, young readers get to merrily count the dinosaurs again and again in the book without it feeling at all repetitious. The humor is a large part of the success of the book too.

That same humor is reflected in the illustrations which are big and bold, adding to the read-aloud appeal. The various dinosaurs are bright colored and pop against the changing colors of the background. Having them hide behind their big black numbers adds to the counting fun, including a page where the numbers aren’t in order and young children can find the numbers in a new way.

Smart, funny and full of dinosaurs. You can count on this one being popular. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from copy provided by Candlewick Press.

Dinosong by Tim McCanna

| Tasha

Dinosong by Tim McCanna

Dinosong by Tim McCanna, illustrated by Richard Smythe (9781534430020)

A little ankylosaur is heading down a steep slope, other dinosaurs walk and fly near him. After tripping on a rock, he rolls downhill clanking and clacking, crinkle crackle, finally landing with a clunk. Soon he meets two other dinosaurs, seeking shelter from the rumbling thunderstorm and the smoky volcanoes. After lightning hits a nearby stone formation, the volcano starts to spill lava. The three dinosaurs run to shelter in a cave where they find fresh water to drink. Then they glimpse light on the other side and emerge to find a safer and quieter landscape full of other dinosaurs.

Told in rhyming words, this simple picture book uses those words to create a merry prehistoric soundscape. There is the sound of the tromping dinosaurs, the storm, the volcano, and the quiet of the cave. The pace is brisk and the tale has plenty of action to keep things moving ahead. People looking for a great read-aloud dinosaur book should look no farther, they don’t even have to try to pronounce dinosaur names!

Smythe’s illustrations are filled with jewel-colored dinosaurs. The dinosaurs are friendly and funny, whether happily joining together on an adventure or wildly rolling or dashing across the scenes. The scenes move nicely from pastel humor to dangerous orange to the deep black of the cave.

A winning dinosaur read aloud sure to please the youngest dinosaur fans. Appropriate for ages 2-4.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Review: Knights vs. Dinosaurs by Matt Phelan

| Tasha

Knights vs. Dinosaurs by Matt Phelan

Knights vs. Dinosaurs by Matt Phelan (9780062686237)

King Arthur’s Knights of the Round Table love to tell tall tales of their adventures, but they are all lies. There just aren’t enough mythical beasts for them to battle. When Sir Erec brags that he’d slain forty dragons, he knew that he’d pushed the storytelling too far. It caught Merlin’s attention and Merlin suggested that Sir Erec, Sir Bors, Sir Hector and the Black Knight explore one particular cave. As they did so, along with Bors’ brave squire, they are transported back in time to when dinosaurs roamed the earth. Now there were more than enough “dragons” to battle! But they may just prove to be too much for our hearty knights. The question becomes who would win in a battle, a knight or a dinosaur?

Phelan clearly has had a ball writing this book. It is filled with jaunty references to King Arthur’s court and has a humor that children will love. The knights have distinct personalities from one another and beautifully grate on one-another’s nerves. The knights enter a world of real peril where Phelan creates moment after moment of battles, dangers and sword-swinging good times.

There are a couple of reveals here that invite young women to see themselves as knights too. In fact, the female knight completely rocks! The dinosaurs who battle one another with a joyous abandon add so much to the tale, something that dinosaur fans will love to see. The book has illustrations sprinkled throughout, breaking up the text for young readers.

A boisterous, battle-filled book that will appeal to young knights and young dinosaur experts and anyone looking for a good read. Appropriate for ages 6-9.

Reviewed from e-galley provided by HarperCollins.

Review: Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel Jose Older

| Tasha

Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel Jose Older

Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel Jose Older (9781338268812)

Magdalys Roca lives at the Colored Orphan Asylum in New York during the year 1863. It is a different world than the one we know, with dinosaurs still roaming the earth. While on a field trip to see a theater performance, riots break out in New York City. Magdalys and her fellow orphans are caught in the situation. As she helps her fellow orphans survive, Magdalys discovers that she has a strange ability to communicate with the dinosaurs around her. Discovering that the orphanage has been destroyed in the riots, Magdalys and several other orphans are taken in by New York freedom fighters in the Dactyl Hill neighborhood where people of color have created a place of safety. Magdalys and her friends are soon involved in saving the other children from being taken into slavery.

Based loosely on real history, this novel has just enough historical reality to keep it grounded. Add in the dinosaurs and you have a wonderful novel of alternative history that will keep children enthralled. The pace is fast and becomes almost wild during fight and battle scenes. The children face real horrors of slavery, including a lynching, mobs of people intent of capturing or killing them, and a network of men working to send free people into bondage. The setting of a historical New York City is deftly woven into the story line as well.

It’s not often that you have children’s fantasy books that offer alternative takes on history. It is even more rare that those books have children of color as the main characters in the novel. Magdalys is a great heroine, full of bravery and a sense of purpose as she joins those trying to change the world. She is a natural leader though she views herself as a loner, something that others won’t allow her to be.

A rip-roaring read that will have children longing for a dactyl to ride. Appropriate for ages 9-12.

Reviewed from ARC provided by Arthur A. Levine Books.

Review: The Dinosaur Expert by Margaret McNamara

| Tasha

The Dinosaur Expert by Margaret McNamara

The Dinosaur Expert by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by G. Brian Karas (9780553511437)

In this new book in the Mr. Tiffin’s Classroom series, the class visits the natural history museum. Kimmy loves fossils and has been to the museum many times before. She can’t wait to share everything she knows about dinosaurs with the others. But when she starts to tell the others about dinosaurs, Jake tells her that girls can’t be scientists. As the children walk through the exhibits, Kimmy sees only men’s names on the displays. Kimmy stops talking about what she knows, even when Mr. Tiffin tries to get her to share. When they enter a new special exhibit, Mr. Tiffin points out that a female paleontologist was the one who discovered it. Inspired, Kimmy starts to talk about what she knows.

A book about the power of modeling to inspire young people, particularly girls to get involved with science, this picture book forgoes subtlety and takes the issue straight on. The strength of other children’s opinions is shown very clearly but so is the ability to suddenly shrug that off and be who you are without hesitation when you are inspired by another female scientist. Don’t miss Kimmy’s list of her favorite female paleontologists and their discoveries. Karas’s illustrations are done in his signature style. He shows Kimmy’s emotions very clearly as she moves from questioning herself into owning her knowledge.

A great book to share and inspire science exploration. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from copy provided by Random House.

Review: Am I Yours? by Alex Latimer

| Tasha

Am I Yours by Alex Latimer

Am I Yours? by Alex Latimer (9781682630440)

When an egg is blown out of its nest by the wind, different dinosaurs try to figure out who it belongs to. As each kind of dinosaur walks past, the egg asks if it belongs to them. The stegosaurus asks the egg if it has spikes under its shell, but it doesn’t. The brachiosaurus wonders about a long neck. Perhaps it has horns or a crest? Or maybe sharp teeth like the T Rex? But nothing matches what is hidden under the eggshell. When the sun sets though, the dinosaurs can see the silhouette of what sort of dinosaur is in the shell!

Latimer uses rhyme and a strong pattern structure to create a book that will be a winner with dinosaur fans. So many dinosaur books don’t read aloud well, but this one is a treat to share aloud. Latimer’s rhymes are skillfully done, creating just the right rhythm to move the story ahead at a brisk pace. Children who know their dinosaurs will love naming the different kinds and trying to guess what is inside the shell before it is revealed.

The illustrations are just as playful as the story with bright colored dinosaurs of red, green, blue and orange. Done in strong colors throughout, the book has a graphic appeal that will work well when shared with groups of children.

Add this to your next dinosaur-themed storytime. It is sure to please! Appropriate for ages 3-5.

Reviewed from library copy.

 

 

Review: We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

| Tasha

We Don_t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins

We Don’t Eat Our Classmates by Ryan T. Higgins (9781368003551)

Penelope Rex is starting school. As a dinosaur, she was very surprised when her classmates turned out to children! Delicious children! Immediately, Penelope ate all of the children. She did spit them out when her teacher told her to though, but it was not a good start to the school year. Penelope noticed that the other children were make friends with one another but not with her. Her father offered the advice that children and dinosaurs are just the same on the inside, but Penelope could still not control her eating. It wasn’t until Walter, the class goldfish, took a bite of Penelope that she realized what it was like to be someone’s snack. Penelope got a lot better after that, though barbecue sauce incidents were still far too tempting to pass up.

Higgins, the author of the Mother Bruce series, has brought his signature humor to new characters in this picture book. The text moves along briskly with splashes of humor, saliva and sauce adding to the zing. The illustrations will work well with a group. They show a class of human children who are very diverse too. Penelope is a dinosaur who is charming, if at times a little chompy. Readers will adore her and her attempts to fix what she has done and make new friends.

A great pick for a new school year. Appropriate for ages 4-6.

Reviewed from ARC provided by Disney Hyperion.

3 Fun-Filled Picture Books

| Tasha

These three picture books are wild romps of fun:

I Love You Like a Pig by Mac Barnett

I Love You Like a Pig by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Greg Pizzoli (9780062354839)

This picture book celebrates all the different forms that love can take, beginning with being loved like a pig and moving to other unique ones as well. At first they may seem silly or unlikely, but the book shows what each one means through the illustrations. The text stays very simple, offering new ways of loving: I love you like a window, I’m smiling like a tuna, and You’re sweet like a banker. Then the illustrations shows how each analogy works and brings it all to life. Barnett comes up with far-fetched analogies that then are transformed into meaning. The selections are clever and will appeal specifically to children and their experiences. Pizzoli’s bright illustrations invite readers to explore the words and find the meaning too. An ingenious book about love and delight. Appropriate for ages 3-5. (Reviewed from library copy.)

The Little Red Cat Who Ran Away and Learned His ABCs (the Hard Way) by Patrick McDonnell

The Little Red Cat Who Ran Away and Learned His ABCs (the Hard Way) by Patrick McDonnell (9780316502467)

When the little red cat heads outside, he discovers a world of surprises and dangers that follow the ABCs. Readers will have to puzzle out what matches each letter along the way (though there is a key in the back of the book to help if you get stuck.) With a merry chase throughout the book, it has the feel of a Gingerbread Boy gallop across the pages. The book is wordless, offering only the letters along the way, providing a visual treat as the cat is joined by an alligator, a bear, a chicken, a dragon and an egg on his adventure through the alphabet. Filled with moments of humor, like the stop at the rest room for R and the lovely use of N and O, this picture book is a delight of an alphabet book that is great fun to share. Appropriate for ages 3-5. (Reviewed from library copy.)

Nibbles The Dinosaur Guide by Emma Yarlett.jpg

Nibbles: The Dinosaur Guide by Emma Yarlett (978-1-61067-643-4)

This is the second Nibbles book where the little yellow monster invades a book by munching his way right into the pages. Here a serious informational book about dinosaurs is what he enters and causes all sorts of mischief. The book names beloved dinosaurs and explains facts about them before being interrupted by the chaos created by Nibbles as he chews through the pages. Nibbles flees from Triceratops charging him. He has an eating contest with a family of Diplodocus. He is surrounded by Velociraptors and then runs right into a Tyrannosaurus Rex before escaping the book.

Yarlett has a real feel for what children love in picture books. She includes poop and fart jokes along the way, and offers lift the flap and die cut pages. Along the way, various side characters offer puns and jokes that will have readers giggling. Still, there is real information on the various dinosaurs offered as well, creating a book that combines silliness and seriousness into just the right mix.

Yarlett’s illustrations work to combine the serious and silliness. The pages on the dinosaurs are done in serious muted colors, sepia tones. But when Nibbles is around, those colors burst into fuller colors with oranges, greens and yellows. The die cuts are cleverly used to move through the book, some of them appearing through multiple pages for even more effect.

Another delicious Nibbles book that combines interactive elements and dinosaurs for what is sure to be a popular pick. Appropriate for ages 4-7. (Reviewed from copy provided by Kane Miller.)