Suppose You Meet a Dinosaur

January 16, 2012
Sierra and Bowers team up for a slightly different take on the dinosaurs plus manners theme that has been well covered by the How Do Dinosaurs... series. There’s no bad behavior on display in this outing: when a small girl meets a T-Rex who’s shopping at the grocery store, the girl models the polite way to interact with others, even in unexpected circumstances. “Your shopping cart begins to spin./ It dings the dino on the shin./ She roars a terrifying roar./ What do you tell the dinosaur?” The correct responses to this and other scenarios appear in large speech bubbles. There’s lots of physical comedy on display in Bowers’s acrylic paintings—the dinosaur drives away in a tiny pink car better suited for Barbie—which, along with Sierra’s characteristically sturdy verse, helps the gentle message about manners go down smoothly. Ages 3–6.

February 1, 2012

PreS-K-This book begins as a little girl meets a dinosaur in a grocery store. The rhyming story presents a situation that she finds herself in, such as when the oversize creature knocks over a bunch of apples in the produce aisle. The text then asks, "If you pick them up, what will she say?" The dinosaur responds with a resounding, "Thank you." Each response to the question is displayed in a speech bubble, adding to the already vibrant illustrations. Basic words and phrases are presented, such as: "Please," Thank you," "No thank you," "I'm sorry," "You're welcome," and "Excuse me." Bowers's acrylic paintings are bright and filled with humor. For example, the adults all seem to be mystified that there is a dinosaur in the store while the little girl is perfectly accepting of this friendly looking dinosaur with pink cat's-eye glasses and a tiny purse and basket. The fun rhymes and humorous, full-color illustrations make the story a sure bet for multiple readings and discussions of manners--Lora Van Marel, Orland Park Public Library, IL

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2011
Courtesy goes a long way, even with a T. Rex. In a grocery store with understandably stunned-looking, wide-eyed shoppers looking on, Bowers sets up a series of encounters between a small girl with pigtails and a very large (and clumsy) green dino sporting pink-sequined glasses. Sierra provides rhymed prompts: "Commotion in the produce aisle! / The dinosaur upsets a pile / Of apples, and they roll away. / If you pick them up, what will she say?" Correct responses ("Thank you") in large, bold type follow. Though some of the exchanges are problematic, as the child seems to be in the store alone--in one meeting, the dino offers her some snack food and in the checkout line gives her money when she runs short--the situations all engender a set of polite phrases from "Hello, I'm pleased to meet you" to "Excuse me," "No, thank you" and the ever-useful "I'm sorry" that will come in handy in any setting. Take socialization skills to the next step with Sesyle Joslin's timeless, Sendak-illustrated What Do You Say, Dear? (1958, 1986) and What Do You Do, Dear? (1961, 1993). Shall we encourage offspring to be more polite? Yes, thank you. Perhaps they will stay that way. (Picture book. 4-6)

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

February 1, 2012
Preschool-G What better way to introduce kids to manners than with a giant, clumsy dinosaur? The setting (improbable though it may seem) is a grocery store, at which a little girl encounters a green, pink-bespectacled tyrannosaurus. A series of events occurs in which the two characters are required to be polite to each other: Your shopping cart begins to spin. / It dings the dino on the shin. / She roars a terrifying roar. / What do you tell the dinosaur? You tell her, I'm sorry, of course. Other incidents include wanting to edge past the dino to use the bathroom, upsetting a stack of apples, shortage of change at checkout to buy butter brickle, and more, with each response ( Excuse me, Thank you, etc.) drawn in big, bold letters. The comic illustrations have fun with the dinosaur's extreme size, using an exaggerated perspective so that she barely fits within the trim. This amusing, rhyming romp is an effective and fun lesson delivered in a memorably prehistoric fashion.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)