DINOSAURS CAN'T ROAR

Dino facts exposed—in rhyme!

Beason and Epelbaum introduce readers to a black woman paleontologist and her friend Rex, a cartoon T. Rex, who work to dispel common and historical myths about dinosaurs. As the rhyming lecture unfolds, Rex—and, later, a small herd of dino friends—morphs to mirror the changes described, which reflect advances in scientific thought. Overall, Beason’s concept is amusing and her rhyming quartets (aabb) flow smoothly. She ends the story by letting readers know that our current theories about the thunder lizards are still evolving: “Roaring or not, let’s give dinos three cheers! / They ruled on this planet for millions of years. / We still love them all—Brontosaurus to Rex! / Who knows what we’ll learn about dinosaurs next?” The weak spot in the story may be the visual emendations seen in Rex and the other dinosaurs: As the characters are illustrated in a rounded, friendly, cartoon style, some of the changes (such as Rex’s posture or Triceratops’ crest) depicted are unsatisfyingly subtle. The backmatter, however, includes enough information to help caregivers explain the changes. This correction is somewhat undercut by anatomically inaccurate accompanying line drawings of Brontosaurus and Stegosaurus. Given the subject matter, the book may be a welcome snack at storytime, but it won’t be top of the food chain.

Worthy of a growl but not a roar.