MY DINOSAURS!
From the Read and Play series
by Betty Schwartz ; Lynn Seresin ; illustrated by John Bendall-Brunello
Rhyming couplets present basic information about Tyrannosaurus rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops and more in this novelty item featuring removable dinosaurs.
Brightly colored and cartoonish movable dinosaur pieces are the intended selling point here. The front cover boasts four, with two more waiting inside. These dinosaur shapes are anchored by variously colored ribbons, and each fits, like a puzzle piece, into a page featuring a couplet that names and describes it as well as into a final page spread that includes all the dinos, prompting readers to pick a favorite. Unfortunately, moving the dinosaur pieces around results rather quickly in a hopeless and frustrating tangle. Take away the ability to play with the pieces, and the whole experience rapidly falls apart. The rhyming couplets often come across as awkward, if not insipid (“Triceratops was easy to spot / because of the three pointy horns it’s got”), and the illustrations, apart from the dinosaur pieces, are just generic background scenes.
While removable dinosaur pieces connected with ribbons might seem like a good idea in theory, in practice, readers wind up with one big dinosaur knot and some thwarted tots.
(Board book. 2-5)