A warm and comforting springtime outing with a puny but persistent protagonist.
Tiny T. Rex dresses up as the “Easter Bun-Bun” to make a surprise basket for Mother and Father.
Easter morning is a special one for Tiny T. Rex. There are eggs to find and a basket towering with goodies to savor. But when kindly Tiny realizes that Mother and Father never get any special holiday treats, it’s time for a costume change. The little tyrannosaurus and stegosaurus pal Pointy don bunny outfits and prepare Easter fare for Mother and Father. The day involves (messy) egg painting, an almost-too-successful egg-hiding mission, and a full basket brimming with treats—and love. Fans of the diminutive dinosaur will be drawn to this Easter-themed board book. Once more, Tiny is utterly fetching—an adorably wide-eyed green youngster with a characteristic two-tooth grin and a can-do attitude. Pointy, who matches Tiny’s cuteness with downturned, questioning eyebrows, is often at the receiving end of Tiny’s mayhem, but it’s all in good fun. Fleck’s minimalist illustrations feature a palette with spring pastels. The simple text and short length make this book ideal for younger toddlers; caregivers eager to see more of the familiar character or anyone seeking Easter-themed fare for their little ones will be pleased.
A warm and comforting springtime outing with a puny but persistent protagonist. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 13, 2026
ISBN: 9781797233246
Page Count: 18
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Review Posted Online: Sept. 27, 2025
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2025
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Not a great choice for the youngest dinosaur lovers.
A board-book ode to parental love as old as the dinosaurs.
A line of text on the left of each spread reads like a dinosaur-themed valentine that a third grader might choose, with punishingly punny wordplay that incorporates dinosaur-related words. On the facing page a dinosaur pair—a baby and an adult—gaze lovingly into each other’s eyes against whimsical, pastel-hued prehistoric-ish backgrounds. In smaller print, in all caps, at the bottom of the left page is the scientific name for the dinosaur referenced by the text and picture followed by a helpful phonetic pronunciation guide. White-outlined footprints appear next to their names, though the white is sometimes difficult to see against the pastel pages. Ten of the best-known dinosaurs are included. Twisting the dinosaur names to fit the loving sentiments succeeds some of the time but more often results in tortured text, well beyond the understanding of the board book audience. The line accompanying two hugging velociraptors, for instance, is just confusing: “Wrap-TOR arms around me, / with you I’ll always stay.” Others are just plain clumsy: “I-wanna-GUANODON you kisses, / I truly just adore you.” Very young children, even those fascinated by dinosaurs, will not get it. Older dinosaur fans will be put off by the babyish format.
Not a great choice for the youngest dinosaur lovers. (Board book. 18 mos.-3)Pub Date: Jan. 5, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-7282-2295-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Sourcebooks Wonderland
Review Posted Online: March 1, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2021
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
In this board book designed for the littlest llama lovers, adorable-as-ever Llama Llama (Llama Llama Red Pajama, 2005, etc.) gets ready for some Halloween fun.
Dewdney’s characteristic spare, apt rhymes convey a lot of action in effortlessly readable fashion. A charming and simple introduction to Halloween and its associated activities, this title finds little Llama Llama choosing and carving a pumpkin, pouring candy into bowls, picking out a costume and, finally, trick-or-treating. The costume Llama Llama decides to don—pointy teeth and a black mask and cape—is enough to frighten and fool his friends but not readers, who will immediately recognize and smile at the silly little mini-Dracula. With Dewdney’s characters as expressive as ever, young readers will be drawn right into the holiday fun, eagerly anticipating which costume Llama Llama will choose and excited to see him scare his friends and score some candy at trick-or-treat. In the equally appealing companion title, Llama Llama Jingle Bells,the little fellow gets ready for Christmas, baking and decorating some cookies in anticipation of Santa’s arrival. This simple holiday title will win Llama Llama new fans, and old friends will want to add it and its companion to their collections. (Board book. 1-2)
Pub Date: Aug. 19, 2014
ISBN: 978-0451469786
Page Count: 14
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 2015
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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