DOWN AT THE DINO WASH DELUXE

A fanciful dinosaur wash that’s more than a little reminiscent of DreamWorks’ Shark Tale.

An adorably round-faced little boy in yellow coveralls is readers’ guide to the Dino Wash Deluxe, and the narration is delightfully kidlike: “…this job’s no picnic—you gotta know the customers! No two dinos are alike, and they all need scrub-a-dubbing.” Each knob and spike on Ankylosaurus must be washed, polishing the frill and horns on Styracosaurus takes an hour...and Tyrannosaurus rex is in town! When the “Big Guy” shows up (in a description festooned with simile), the youngster bravely welcomes him, his stutter and pauses broadcasting his fear. Sure enough, T-Rex gets right in his face, the font matching the dinosaur’s size and anger. But the little boy has pegged him correctly—T-Rex doesn’t like soap in his eyes—and he devolves into a whimpering baby. But no worries, the little boy has just the solution. The dinosaur names are printed in a different color within the text, and backmatter provides a short paragraph of information about each one. Pamintuan’s artwork ably matches the text, each brilliantly colored dinosaur a distinct individual. Perspective, size, body language and facial expression all play a role in capturing the story’s moods. The boy’s co-workers are a nice mix of genders, though they lack racial/cultural diversity.

A romping-stomping choice for dinosaur lovers and those similarly afraid of soap in their eyes.