Star of the Show! It's Show and Tell, Dexter by Lindsay Ward

"It's me, Dexter T. Rexter!
Guess what tomorrow is?

IT'S SHOW-AND-TELL DAY!"

Dexter is a toy dinosaur who thinks he's all prepared for the big day. After all, a toy that is chosen to be taken for show-and-tell at school is super special.

"If things go well, I'll get super-special-keep-forever status.

Dexter is a singing toy dino, and and when little Jack pushes his button, Dexter's "Stomp through the swamp, Chomp, Chomp, Chomp!" has always been a hit.

But the stakes are so high! And suddenly Dexter starts to fret that he'll fail at being the star of show-and-tell. Maybe he needs to perk up his act! He tries out cutesy costumes. Pet Bunny? (Wrong tail!). Elvis Imitator? (Too fakey!) His imitations fall flat. His routines are ruinous!

What if Jack doesn't think I'm cool enough?

The pressure is building!

Dexter is a T. WRECK!

Will Dexter T. Rexter give it the old school try? Will he be the star of the show? You betcha, in Lindsay Ward's latest installment in her series, It's Show and Tell, Dexter! (Dexter T. Rexter) (Two Lions, 2018).

For kids whose courage quails on show-and-tell day, author Ward has cleverly made Dexter the stand-in alter ego for the usual worry-wart of show-and-tell time, the actual kid, and Dexter's kid Jack's advice, "Just be yourself," goes down well as the premise for this school story. Ward's illustrations are bold and big and jolly, making this one a worthy partner to her earlier Dexter T. Rexter book, Don't Forget Dexter! (Dexter T. Rexter Book 1).