T. Rex Time Machine: Dinos in De-Nile

August 1, 2019
A feckless pair of time-traveling T. Rexes make a stopover in ancient Egypt. Between the burning-hot sands and the crocodile-infested river, it's shaping up to be a bummer of an outing--until young Tut happens along and, mistaking one of the dinos for Sobek, god of the Nile, declares himself a fanboy. From then on it's all parties and feasting aboard the royal yacht, with tours of landmarks ranging from the Library of Alexandria ("And this is where I check out all your comic books") to the Sphinx ("a practical joke that got out of hand"). This goes on until, that is, the extraterrestrials who "come down every couple of weeks to work on that triangle project" catch sight of the opportunistic visitors and dash the divinity bit with some Cretaceous Era selfies. Uh oh, time to jump back into the time machine for a quick, random getaway. Next stop (as the final scene suggests) is definitely not Kansas. Chapman floats blocky figures of the voracious visitors, their diversely brown human hosts, and hairless blue ETs clad in uniforms strongly reminiscent of Star Trek's against very simple, often monochromatic backgrounds, leaving plenty of space for gags and banter. He also slips in an easter egg, having the real Sobek and archenemy Drought duke it out in a minicomic printed inside the dust jacket. A most excellent adventure, with more (Hint: Can you say "Aaarrrgh!"?) to come. (Picture book. 6-8)

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December 13, 2019

PreS-Gr 1-Chapman's troublesome T-Rexes are taking another trip in their time machine. Next stop, ancient Egypt. Soon after crash-landing into the pyramids, the brown- and green-colored dinosaurs meet the boy pharaoh Tut, who mistakes them for gods, and delightedly shows them the sights. Their enjoyment doesn't last long though, for when the aliens who built the pyramids spot them, they disillusion the young comic book fan. Now labeled as frauds, the two are forced to flee. This hybrid picture book and comic book is stuffed with all the wacky fantasies a child could want. The humor too has that quality, zipping from physical comedy to fandom Easter eggs. These dinosaurs may not seek trouble, but they are magnets for it, inadvertently causing hilarious disasters wherever they go. Panels are limited, and the text-including the dialogue-has a high contrast to help young readers grasp the format easier. As a neat bonus feature, children can also read the pharaoh's favorite comic on the inside of the jacket cover. VERDICT The zany misadventures of these dinosaurs are just perfect for kids looking for a laugh.-Rachel Forbes, Oakville Public Library, Ont.

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