Revenge of the Dinotrux

Starred review from May 28, 2012
The Dinotrux’s boisterous second adventure takes them from prehistory into the present day. Fed up with being stuck in a museum, they escape and unleash their vengeance: Dumplodocus carries off houses, Septisaurus drinks an entire swimming pool, and Cementosaurus dumps a gushing, gray “present” in the town square. After a reprimanding from the mayor, the Dinotrux are sent to school and learn how to put their energy to better use. Gall’s
dinosaur/machine mash-ups are, once again, the star of the show, commanding attention (and generating laughs) in every action-filled, rust-toned scene. Ages 3–6. Agent: George Nicholson, Sterling Lord Literistic.

April 1, 2012

PreS-Gr 1-The monster vehicles, cleverly imagined ancestors of modern trucks and construction vehicles from Gall's Dinotrux (Little, Brown, 2009), return for another romp. The first installment left off with them being placed "into a great museum." Now, having been poked, prodded, and otherwise abused by the museum's young visitors, they have grown resentful. After another rough Kindergarten Day, Tyrannosaurus Trux loses his temper and breaks out, leading the Dinotrux to wreak havoc throughout the city. To quell further rampages and civilize the prehistoric machines, the mayor orders the miscreants to attend school. Despite some additional shenanigans, the Dinotrux are eventually tamed through the power of literacy. They discover "some books they just couldn't put down" and learn to get along with children in the mildly contrived but altogether satisfactory turn of events. Dramatic, full-page illustrations brim with the energy of these fierce machines. Humorous details abound as well-some subtle, like a display case labeled "immature male" with a small Dinotrux inside, and some more obvious, like the Cementosaurus leaving "a present in the town square." A fun follow-up, appealing to old and new fans alike.-Yelena Alekseyeva-Popova, formerly at Chappaqua Library, NY

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 15, 2012
The prehistoric metal monsters dug up and introduced in Dinotrux! (2009) break out--twice!--in this smashing (crashing, roaring, grinding) sequel. Exploding through the dino-museum's wall in the wake of a particularly stressful Kindergarten Day, enraged Tyrannosaurus Trux rolls off to climb a skyscraper. Meanwhile, hungry Garbageadon chows down on local traffic, a pair of Velocitractors plow up Main Street and Cementosaurus dumps a heaping "present" in the town square. Enough! declares the mayor, firmly dispatching the miscreant mega vehicles to school to learn better behavior. Further chaos threatens when they burst out again, though, taking along the children who have introduced them to the wonders of (truck) books and other reading. Towering massively atop heavy-duty tires, with wide, headlight eyes and toothy maws agape, Gall's brawny beasts make modern construction vehicles look like jumped-up SmartCars. But even the most brutish dinotrux can find a place in today's world, as the final playground scene suggests. Young fans of all things big and noisy will make trax for this dynamic dino-diversion. (Picture book. 6-8)

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