Am I Yours?

July 1, 2018

PreS-Gr 1-On a gusty day, a dinosaur egg is pushed out of its nest and into an open field. The egg then asks passing dinosaurs if it belongs to them; since the dinosaurs can't look directly inside the shell, they each ask questions to the egg to try to figure out what it will look like when it's hatched. The Corythosaurus, for example, asks if the egg has a crest like hers, the egg responds, "I have no crest (I just checked now) so I'm not yours. Thanks anyhow." The dinosaurs are later able to figure out who the egg belongs to, and get it safely back to its nest. Though seemingly simplistic, Latimer's rhyme scheme is wonderfully timed and plotted, giving a singsong cadence that is ideal for storytime. His illustrations are equally spot-on with bright colors and basic character design that give a gentle and caring feel; even the T. rex looks adorable and concerned about the egg's safety. VERDICT This inquisitive egg will be welcome in most collections. Sure to be a crowd-pleaser-highly recommended.-Peter Blenski, Greenfield Public Library, WI

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

June 15, 2018
An errant egg politely asks for help in this prehistoric take on the "are you my mother?" theme.Blown by the wind out of its nest and down a hill, the egg plaintively calls out, "Excuse me, please, / but am I yours? / I'm sure I am / a dinosaur's!" But a succession of dinos are stymied: "What do you look like inside that shell? / I can't see in so I can't tell," they all begin and then list their own signature characteristics in search of similarities. The conundrum deepens as, in response to each passer-by's questions, the egg's resident replies that, no, it doesn't have spikes along its spine like Stegosaurus', or a crest like Corythosaurus', or teeth "sharp up top and down beneath" like Tyrannosaurus'. What could it be? Amid neatly laid out rocks and flowers, Latimer surrounds the enigmatic speckled egg with recognizable dinosaurs, rendered in bright monochrome hues and bearing visibly concerned expressions that are transformed into smiles when, finally, the setting sun illuminates a shadowy shape within the shell. The egg is rolled back up the hill, and finally its titular query is answered: "We are. We are! We are YOURS! / We're two ECSTATIC pterosaurs"--just as hatching time arrives. As cozy and safe as it is mannerly, with a patterned text well suited to storytime sharing with younger audiences. (Picture book. 3-5)

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Starred review from July 1, 2018
Preschool-G *Starred Review* Two hundred million years ago, an icy wind accidentally blows an egg out of a nest. When it lands, the egg calls out to the nearby dinosaurs to find its parent. One by one, the helpful dinosaurs all ask what it looks like inside the shell?hoping that the baby is one of their �species?but that doesn't seem to be the case. The baby reports that, no, it doesn't have the long neck of a Brachiosaurus or the triple horns of a Triceratops. Finally, when the sun sets behind the egg and they see its silhouette, they return the egg to its ecstatic pterosaur parents. This is a familiar, lovely story told in rhyming couplets with a beautiful read-me-out-loud cadence and a warm hug of an ending. The illustrations, done in a rich, saturated color palette, feature the dinosaurs in lush shades of lime green, orange sherbet, and tomato red. Although simple in plot?a prehistoric version of P. D. Eastman's classic Are You My Mother??there are layers and facts to intrigue dinophiles across multiple reads. (How often do you stumble across an Archelon and Pachycephalosaurus hidden in your endpapers?) This is a must-have addition to any children's collection, and a surefire crowd-pleaser at a dinosaur storytime. One might call it a roaring success.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)