DINOSAURS FOREVER

Twenty-one dinosaur poems and dozens of humorous drawings to delight dinosaur lovers of all ages will make this new collection a real favorite. Adults be warned: children will want these poems read aloud. Consult the helpful pronunciation guide before attempting such poems as “The Awful Three,” which includes the verse: “The first was Rhamphorhynchus, / Hardly longer than your arm, / A grisly little monster / With very little charm.” While the rhymes are sometimes forced—for example, “ungracious” “Cretaceous”—it's hard not to smile at the toothy vaudevillian T. Rex with straw hat and cane doing a soft shoe. The picture book set will giggle at the variety of urban dinosaurs in costume and clothing, lumbering though the city with Walkman, cell phone, running shoes, and skateboards. The author of Ten Sly Piranhas (1993) presents the familiar dinosaurs: T. Rex, Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus, and Triceratops, and the less familiar Gorgosaurus. While children will pick their own favorites, the last poem, “Dinosaurs Forever,” will speak to all: “… But as long as there are those of us / Who love ‘The Beast that Roars,’ / No matter what the experts say— / There will always be Dinosaurs!” (Poetry. 5-9)