This simple primer on the lizards that once roamed the Earth should inspire plenty of further explorations of the fossil...
Touchable textures, eye-catching foil and glitter, and the titular, winsome baby beasts highlight this introduction for toddlers to these fascinating lizards of yore.
From its thick, cushioned cover through its firm, final pages, this seemingly indestructible volume introduces seven species of dinosaurs, with a few basic facts and the correct pronunciation of each name. A “mommy” Saltasaurus has a long, leathery neck; her chirping offspring hatches from an egg. Children can feel the bumps on Edmontonia’s back and count the toes via his footprints: “His front feet have more toes.” Tyrannosaurus rex walks on two hind legs and eats meat, while baby Diplodocus, shown munching on ferns, is a confirmed vegetarian. Other dinosaurs are simply shown being babies. Triceratops hides in bushes and plays peekaboo, Styracosaurus is alert and playful, and Stegosaurus has fallen peacefully asleep on the last page. The hope, no doubt, is that pint-sized paleontologists reading this book will soon follow suit. Each dinosaur is computer-rendered but loaded with personality. Illustrations are presented on bright, monochromatic backgrounds; each white page is paired with a bright blue, red, yellow, pink, or purple one. Every page includes a textured feature to keep little fingers engaged and busy: leathery skin, gravelly footprints, embossed bumpy hides, or debossed horns or stripes, to name a few.
This simple primer on the lizards that once roamed the Earth should inspire plenty of further explorations of the fossil record. (Board book. 1-5)Pub Date: May 8, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-4654-6841-3
Page Count: 14
Publisher: DK Publishing
Review Posted Online: May 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2018
Sure to appeal to budding paleontologists everywhere.
Colorful, fun, and informative guide for pint-sized dinosaur enthusiasts.
Kid-friendly and more informative than most dino books for tots, this lift-the-flap dinosaur book is a great next step for any kid with an interest in the subject. Each double-page panorama—occasionally folding out to three or even four pages wide—is organized around types of dinosaurs or habitats. While most featured dinosaurs are land dwellers, prehistoric reptiles of the sea and sky appear as well. Dinosaurs are rendered in bright colors on a white background in a childlike style that makes even Tyrannosaurus rex not too terrifying. Make no mistake, though; the king of the dinosaurs is clearly labeled “CARNIVORE.” Folding T. rex’s head back reveals a black-and-white handsaw, to which the text likens its enormous, sharp teeth. Another marginal illustration, captioned, “Watch out! T. rex is looking for its lunch,” shows a Triceratops specimen on a plate. Yet another reads, “Crushed dinosaur bones have been found in T. rex poop!” Several racially diverse kids appear in each scene, like toddler scientists variously observing, inspecting, and riding on the dinosaurs depicted. In addition to teaching the difference between herbivores and carnivores, the book also conveys a sense of the scale of these prehistoric beasts: Diplodocus is two school buses long, a Triceratops adult is the size of an elephant, and a Velociraptor is the size of a turkey, for example.
Sure to appeal to budding paleontologists everywhere. (Board book. 2-5)Pub Date: Sept. 17, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0809-2
Page Count: 16
Publisher: Templar/Candlewick
Review Posted Online: Nov. 23, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2019
BOOK REVIEW
A clever conceit but a bland execution.
In this minimalist Australian import, readers are encouraged to guess animals based on select written and visual clues.
On each recto, readers see the hindquarters of an animal, and three simple clues ask them to guess what kind of animal they may belong to. “I have long furry ears and a small nose. / I live in a burrow in the ground. / I have a white fluffy tail. / I AM A….” The splashy watercolor rear legs and tail are ambiguous enough that they may have readers second-guessing the obvious answer. Turning the page, however, readers discover both the well-defined front half of the animal and the animal’s name: “RABBIT.” Canty uses stock 19th-century animal illustrations layered with watercolor enhancements, creating a somber yet surprising tone. Two tailless animals, a frog and human readers, are included in the roster, making the “tails” referenced in the title symbolic rather than literal. Two red herrings, the image of a mouse between the clues for and image of an elephant and (inexplicably) a squirrel leading to a giraffe, fall flat, with no other cues to young readers that they are jokes. The quirky illustrations, earthy colors, and lack of exhibited enthusiasm will make this book’s audience a niche one. There is no backmatter.
A clever conceit but a bland execution. (Informational picture book. 2-5)Pub Date: Oct. 23, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5362-0033-1
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Candlewick
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2018
BOOK REVIEW
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