This pair may not catch their prehistoric prey, but they’ll definitely capture readers’ imagination.
Pup and Dragon are determined to trap a dino.
The first entry in the series—a spinoff from the publisher’s holiday-themed How To Catch… picture books—saw the pair attempting to catch an elf. This time, they notice the local kids working on a project in the hopes of winning the science fair; first prize is a brand-new bicycle. The kids intend to catch a living dinosaur—they’re everywhere, right? Pup and Dragon decide to help. Every time they concoct a plan, however, they wind up wrecking or otherwise falling for one of the traps built by the kids…before picking themselves up and starting again. This formula repeats several times throughout the book but stays fresh with each new contraption. Eventually, it dawns on Pup to help the kids use their talents to win the science fair another way. If Pup and Dragon’s determination and brainstorming set a positive example, then their shirking of blame for the destruction of others’ property is their countervailing vice. Most pages contain four to five panels or one large panel, with action demonstrating clear cause and effect. The cartoon images are appropriately exaggerated and over-the-top, with a Looney Tunes feel; a dinosaur charges through and evades capture every so often, like a mute Road Runner. The kids, who have no dialogue, are racially diverse.
This pair may not catch their prehistoric prey, but they’ll definitely capture readers’ imagination. (how to draw a robot) (Graphic fiction. 6-9)Pub Date: April 2, 2024
ISBN: 9781728239545
Page Count: 64
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: Feb. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
What a wag.
What do you get from sewing the head of a smart dog onto the body of a tough police officer? A new superhero from the incorrigible creator of Captain Underpants.
Finding a stack of old Dog Mancomics that got them in trouble back in first grade, George and Harold decide to craft a set of new(ish) adventures with (more or less) improved art and spelling. These begin with an origin tale (“A Hero Is Unleashed”), go on to a fiendish attempt to replace the chief of police with a “Robo Chief” and then a temporarily successful scheme to make everyone stupid by erasing all the words from every book (“Book ’Em, Dog Man”), and finish off with a sort of attempted alien invasion evocatively titled “Weenie Wars: The Franks Awaken.” In each, Dog Man squares off against baddies (including superinventor/archnemesis Petey the cat) and saves the day with a clever notion. With occasional pauses for Flip-O-Rama featurettes, the tales are all framed in brightly colored sequential panels with hand-lettered dialogue (“How do you feel, old friend?” “Ruff!”) and narrative. The figures are studiously diverse, with police officers of both genders on view and George, the chief, and several other members of the supporting cast colored in various shades of brown. Pilkey closes as customary with drawing exercises, plus a promise that the canine crusader will be further unleashed in a sequel.
What a wag. (Graphic fantasy. 7-9)Pub Date: Aug. 30, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-545-58160-8
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Graphix/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: May 31, 2016
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2016
SEEN & HEARD
BOOK TO SCREEN
BOOK TO SCREEN
Sturdy split pages allow readers to create their own inventive combinations from among a handful of prehistoric critters. Hard on the heels of Flip-O-Saurus (2010) drops this companion gallery, printed on durable boards and offering opportunities to mix and match body thirds of eight prehistoric mammals, plus a fish and a bird, to create such portmanteau creatures as a “Gas-Lo-Therium,” or a “Mega-Tor-Don.” The “Mam-Nyc-Nia” places the head of a mammoth next to the wings and torso of an Icaronycteris (prehistoric bat) and the hind legs of a Macrauchenia (a llamalike creature with a short trunk), to amusing effect. Drehsen adds first-person captions on the versos, which will also mix and match to produce chuckles: “Do you like my nose? It’s actually a short trunk…” “I may remind you of an ostrich, because my wings aren’t built for flying…” “My tail looks like a dolphin’s.” With but ten layers to flip, young paleontologists will run through most of the permutations in just a few minutes, but Ball’s precisely detailed ink-and-watercolor portraits of each animal formally posed against plain cream colored backdrops may provide a slightly more enduring draw. A silhouette key on the front pastedown includes a pronunciation guide and indicates scale. Overall, a pleasing complement to more substantive treatments. (Novelty nonfiction. 6-8)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-7892-1099-9
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Abbeville Kids
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
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