The Great Prehistoric Panty Raid! Aliens Love Dinopants by Claire Freedman

A BAND OF PANTS-MAD ALIENS
ZOOMED DOWN HERE, WHEN... SURPRISE!
BRIGHT LIGHTS HIT THEIR SPACESHIP--BANG!
AND HURLED THEM FROM THE SKIES.

IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE!

No, not the asteroid that supposedly led to the demise of the dinosaurs. Here's the true story of how it went down.

The alien spaceship's pants-tracker beeps boisterously. The aliens hone in on the undies signal, which leads them to land near a jungle redoubt.

"WOW! WE MUST BE CLOSE," THEY CRIED.
"LET'S TAKE A PEEK INSIDE!"

And inside that hidden cache, the aliens discover a treasure trove of --

BOOTY FOR THEIR BOOTIES!

A HAUL FOR THEIR HEINIES!

Inside they uncover underwear--skivvies and shorts, boxers and briefs and bloomers and bikinis and BVDs. The pants-mad aliens have a pantie party, There are dozens of drawers for every duff!

But the drawers-hoarding dinosaurs are furious at the looting of their derriere-wear! This means WAR! It's the cosmic Cretaceous clash for keister coverings, and the battle of the bottoms is fearful, until one alien warrior proposes a peace plan:

WE'LL LAUNCH YOU INTO SPACE!
"WE'LL SEND YOU TO THE PLANET ZOOM,
A MOST PANT-TASTIC PLACE.

And so, according to Claire Freedman's Aliens Love Dinopants, (The Underpants Books) (Aladdin Books, 2015)...

Somewhere, in a galaxy far, far away,
Earth's top-drawered dinosaurs are still at play.

In this most recent of her undies series, Freedman's merry rhyming quatrains are back to tell us what really happened to the dinosaurs, a happy ending to the Great Underwear War. Nobody loves tails, er, tales of bottoms and briefs more than young readers of the primary grade persuasion, and fans of this series will definitely sit still for a new installment of The Underpants Books. Artist Ben Cort is in top form on this one with his signature comic characters undertaking all sorts of adventures in their never-ending search for the perfect pair of knickers. For this book Cort even provides delightful, er, end-papers showing a colorful collection of backside couture. As the Bard said it so memorably, "All's well that ends well."

Enjoy more knickers snickers from Freedman and Cort here.

Here's Looking at You! Peek-a-Boo Dinosaurs by Charles Reasoner

PEEK-A-BOO DINOSAUR LOVES TO EXPLORE.

And he's in the right book. The eyes have it in Charles Reasoner's Peek-A-Boo Dinosaur (Die-Cut Animal Board) (Picture Window/Capstone Press), with one critter or another peeking through the die-cut windows on each page of this shaped book. Jeepers Creepers! Where'd they get those peepers? Big dino and tiny ladybug eyes peer through through the peepholes, and green, gold, and pink dinosaur twins pop out to say "hello."

We're talking STURDY in the case of this board book for the youngest, with holes for little fingers to poke and pages stiff enough for little fingers to learn to turn. A shaped book with page edges cut into the lines of the jungle foliage, it's a good place for a baby dino to hatch and a good place for little eyes to go exploring.

Be Careful What You Clone! Mad Scientist Academy: The Dinosaur Disaster by Matthew McElligott

ON A COOL SEPTEMBER MORNING, A GROUP OF STUDENTS ARRIVED FOR THE FIRST DAY OF THEIR NEW SCHOOL...

But are the students who straggle into this rather intimidating educational institution the usual fresh-faced, starched-and-combed kids? Not exactly. Matriculating at the Mad Scientist Academy, there's young Wolfgang Wolfman, little Scarlett Vampira, Frank N. Stein, Jr., Tad the Toadboy, Al, a green extraterrestrial--you know, the usual suspects.

And they are welcomed by their professor, appropriately dressed in white lab coat and--thoroughly tied up with plenty of rope.

"I AM DR. COSMIC. I WILL BE YOUR TEACHER THIS YEAR," HE EXPLAINS.

"WHY ARE YOU ALL TIED UP?" VENTURES SCARLETT.

And well may she inquire, because Dr. Cosmic explains that he was overpowered by the school pet Oscar, who just happens to be -- a dinosaur. And then the students are introduced to their paleontology instructor, a holographic skeletal authority appropriately named Dr. Tibia, who leads them into what the kids think is an exhibit of dino displays.

But the students soon discover that the exhibits are not clever models. They are robots, and it seems Dr. Cosmos' robot remote control has a few prehistoric bugs in the system. The system is on the fritz for sure, and the chase is on, with the students left to sort out the survivors on their own, in Matthew McElligott's unusual first day of school romp, Mad Scientist Academy: The Dinosaur Disaster (Crown Books, 2015). Cleverly disguised as a comic adventure, in this opening title, McElligott's premise is definitely educational, with a fine lesson on types of dinosaurs and how they rose and fell in their time. McElligott appends a dinosaur dictionary with thumbnail illustrations and facts about dinosaurs, including a perhaps surprising group, called "Dinosaurs That Survived!" (hint: they taste like chicken!) and adds a web link to more fun with dinosaur lore.

Kirkus Reviews reminds us of that earlier critical and popular success in science nonfiction for kids and comically quips, "Aside from being, you know, mad, Dr. Cosmic is plainly a colleague of Ms. Frizzle, and the mix of pithy banter, tumultuous field-trip mishaps, and science fact is as familiar as it is winning. Fans of the Frizz will be dino-delighted." If this series turns out to be half as informative and fun as The Magic School Bus series, the sound you will be hearing is much cheering from primary school science teachers (most of whom are NOT mad, at least not this early in the school year)--and their students.

And don't think that Ms. Frizzle has parked the Magic Bus in the junkyard and gone to some tropical retirement home. Joanna Cole's and Bruce Degen's latest fun field trip is The Magic School Bus and the Climate Challenge.

Beachin' Fun: Sea & Rex by Molly Idle

READY FOR A CAREFREE DAY IN THE SUN?

GATHER YOUR FRIENDS AND HEAD TO THE BEACH!

And when little Cordelia goes on an outing, she takes some formidable friends along, Rex and his prehistoric pals!

Nobody goes anywhere with Cordelia without instructions, however. And her little brother appropriately dressed as a pirate, listens as she runs through the rules.

STASH YOURSELF NEXT TO A LIFE GUARD, WHO WILL KEEP AN EYE ON YOU.

That seems like superfluous advice for a troop of cretaceous creatures led by a T. Rex, but Cordelia has more good advice.

USE PLENTY OF SUNSCREEN!

Oops!  Too late for Rex, who has already gone from green to bright pink. But with that detail taken care of, the group spreads out to find their own fun. Rex goes hunting for shells, but comes up with only a triceratops horn. Cordelia warns the swimmers always to jump in feet first, but Rex hits the waves for a bit of snorkeling. Now Where is he? Cordelia swims out to find Rex.

Soon it's time for the beach picnic, but...Oh, no!

Cordelia forgot to warn everyone back on the beach that sea gulls can be larcenous. One snatches the picnic basket, and another makes off with her little brother's Teddy bear. But there's no need to worry or fear; not when you have a T. Rex near! With lunch and plush lovey restored, it's a great day for all concerned.

WHEN YOU'RE SURROUNDED BY FRIENDS, LIFE'S A DAY AT THE BEACH!

Molly Idle's latest, a girl-and-her-dinosaur idyll on the shore, Sea Rex (Viking Books, 2015), shows the two unlikely buddies and friends shell-hunting and sand castle constructing, doing all the things kids love to do beside the sea.

Idle's illustrative style is like no other. Her colored pencil strokes are all broad and curvaceous, from Cordelia's little round tummy, to the sandy shore dunes, to Rex's voluminous rotundity, giving her stories a soothing fullness. This one, like her Caldecott-winning Flora and the Flamingo, has a serenity of line and its own joie de vive as an odd couple of pals find a new place to play together for fun in the sun.

Trux with the Tide: Dinotrux Dig the Beach by Chris Gall

It's steamy summer back in the Jurasic jungle, and the Dinotrux are obviously overheated. It's hard to cool down beside a bubbling tar pit and it's not a pretty picture when morph monsters, part dinosaur, part trucks, get grumpy. They need a break.

ONE DAY IN LATE SUMMER TYRANNOSAURUS TRUX LED THE DINOTRUX TO A SECRET BEACH.

THE BREEZES WERE COOL AND WAVES CRASHED OF THE SAND.

The delighted Dinotrux run amok. Craneosaurus cannonballs into the surf. Digasaurus digs himself a hole in the cool sand up to his cab. The rest of the Dinotrux dive in for a cooling swim. But whoa...

"OUT OF THE WATER, DINOTRUX, OR YOU'LL RUST!!"

Back on the beach, the Dinotrux dry out. In fact, the Deliveradons fall asleep in the sun and turn bright red.

TOO BAD THEY FORGOT THE SUNSCREEN!

The rest find their own fun, each in his own way. Scoopasaurus para-sails over the sand, and Rolladon flattens some palms into super-sized surf boards.

Then Tyrannosaurus Trux tries to take charge and get the moto-monsters at work on a group project--Dinotrux-sized sand castles. Things don't go well at first. Rolladon gets over-enthusiastic and rolls over their sand-bucket-shaped walls, and Cementosaurus does his usual thing, dumping a load indiscriminately all over the sand. And while Tyrannosaurs Trux is busy sorting out the chaos, little Scoopasaurus ventures out in the surf and is surrounded by circling megalodons, prehistoric sharks with mouths big enough to swallow a great white like a minnow.

But it's all for one and one for all with the Dinotrux motor pool, and again Tyrannosaurus Trux mounts the rescue, in Chris Gall's latest, Dinotrux Dig the Beach (Little, Brown and Company, 2015). Chris Gall's clever morph-monsters have a day at the beach in this third book in his series.

Blending those kid-pleasing subjects, dinosaurs and big construction equipment, into one herd of mighty monsters is a stroke of brilliance, and kids will get definitely dig Gall's Dinotrux as they take over the seaside in a spoof of water sports and a massive show of oceanside improvement. Gall even brings back his cave family to take over the seaside castle (complete with a school of monster sharks circling the moat) when the Dinotrux vacate their vacation construction project, and all's cool that ends cool in Dinotrux territory.

Gall's earlier books include Dinotrux and Revenge of the Dinotrux. Read reviews of the truckin' terrors' past history here!

It's a Wrap! Rappy the Raptor by Dan Gutman

"I'M RHYMIN' AND RAPPIN'
ALL OF THE TIME.
I AM TALKIN' WHEN I'M WALKIN'
AND I'M RHYMIN' WHEN I CLIMB.

When he was a babe Rappy fell out of the nest, and the first words he spoke were not like the rest. He comes from a long line of raptors, not rappers, and his alarmed parents whisk him off to the ER for a checkup.

THE DOCTORS LOOKED ME IN THE EYE
AND LOOKED IN MY EAR.
AND I'M NOT ASHAMED TO SAY
THEY LOOKED ME IN THE REAR!

But the prognosis is not severe.

Rappy's rhyming is not physical. It's not even mental. It seems that his rappin' is purely congenital!

Moms and Dads love their kids the way they are, and Rappy's parents soon learn to appreciate parenting the world's first velociraptor rapper, in Dan Gutman's latest, Rappy the Raptor (Harper, 2015). Rappy right away gets a gig at the zoo, where he promptly has his "peeps" rappin' along just like story circle kids will do when they rhyme along with his story. Along with the jivin' Sultan of Silliness Dan Gutman drops in a little humorous exposure to the emergency room experience and an over-lightly lesson in valuing the differences among us, along with the reading skills that go along with rhyming words. Artist Tim Bowers' bright and funny finger-snappin' illustrations keep it happenin' in this one just made-for-read-aloud sessions.

"A cool addition to most collections," says School Library Journal.

For more dinosaurs-gone-modern summer fun, read this one with Chris Gall's new Dinotrux Dig the Beach.

It's A Dad Day! Rory the Dinosaur: Me & My Dad by Liz Climo

RORY LIVES ON AN ISLAND WITH HIS DAD.

HE HAS A LOT OF ENERGY. SOMETIMES TOO MUCH.

Rory, that is. Dad? Not so much.

Dad has read books to little Rory. He's taken him fishing. Now Dad is out of energy. He declares it's Dad's Day OFF, and repairs to his hammock with one of his long, boring books for some quiet time.

Hmmph! It's too quiet and Rory is still full of energy. He decides he'll do stuff by himself. He packs up a peanut butter sandwich and some guy gear in his knapsack and heads off for a solo adventure (or so he thinks).

RORY WALKS TO THE RIVER.

BUT HE'S NOT ALLOWED TO SWIM BY HIMSELF.

Suddenly he sees a series of stepping stones he's never noticed before. He quickly crosses the river--all by himself!

Eeek! A hungry wild pig charges. Little Rory opens his mouth and lets out a little ROAR,, unaware that a big dinosaur behind him lets out an intimidating ROAR! The boar bolts for the tall timber, and Rory struts on, proud of his prowess.

When Rory stops for lunch, he realizes he forgot to pack himself a drink.

"AW, MAN!"

Suddenly a coconut drops down, splitting open perfectly, from the palm tree right over Rory's head. Ahhh! Refreshing! But then it starts to rain. Rory looks around fruitlessly for cover. But suddenly the rain stops--just where he's standing. Rory figures he's good at picking just the right places, while over his head, savvy readers will spot good ol' Dad, doing a plank between two palms to keep his clueless lad dry beneath him.

The joke's on the unaware Rory, of course! He's dazzled with his new solo-roaming skills, while poor Dad is frazzled with the responsibility of looking out for his wandering boy, in Liz Climo's latest, Rory the Dinosaur: Me and My Dad (Little, Brown and Company, 2015). Youngsters will instantly spot Dad's only partly hidden but doting oversight of little Rory's first venture into the wilds. Climo's illustrations and hand-lettered text are darn cute, but her theme, that devoted dads don't let their little wanderers get into too much trouble, shines through the fun. A clever read aloud and a nice tribute to fathers on Dad's Day.

Cretaceous Caretaker: Rex Finds An Egg! Egg! Egg! by Sten Weinberg

When this goofy-looking baby dino finds a large spotted ovoid, he assumes it's an egg. He's quite taken with it and carries it carefully toward his own nesting area.

But prehistoric times are fraught with danger. A nearby volcano begins to rumble and spout, and Rex realizes he has to do something to save himself--and his egg.

"RUN! RUN! RUN!"

Rex makes a run for it, unfortunately right over a cliff and into the cretaceous sea, swimming with a variety prehistoric critters. Luckily, Rex lands on the back of one sea monster and seems temporarily safe.

But, NO! A pterodactyl swoops to scoop up Rex and egg. Rex slides down the sea monster's back and scurries back to the safety of his own nest. Whew!

But when the volcano again begins to shake the earth, spewing steam and lava, little Rex drops his prize. It cracks open, and Rex realizes that he's been nurturing, not an egg at all, but a rock! Rex is briefly brokenhearted. Is this the sad end to a possible lovely friendship?

Little Rex is an appealing little predator in Steven Weinberg's jolly T. Rex romp, Rex Finds an Egg! Egg! Egg! (Margaret K. Elderry Books, 2015. Weinberg's easy text will have tots chiming in on the thrice-repeated refrain and older preschoolers will soon be "reading" this one themselves, while his bright palette shows off his cute little T. Rex character with plenty of charm and verve.

But Nature will out, as caretaker turns carnivore when Rex gets a bit rumbly in his tumbly and spots potential herbivorous prey:

"LUNCH! LUNCH! LUNCH!"

As Kirkus Reviews adds waggishly, "Young dinosaur fans will like this solo debut for Weinberg a bunch, bunch, bunch."

Case Closed! Dinosaur Vs. Mommy by Bob Shea

MOMMY TAKING A QUICK SHOWER! (ROAR!!)

TRAIN! (ROAR!)

BUNNY! (ROAR! ROAR!)

FLUSH!!

DINOSAUR WINS! (ROAR! ROAR!! ROAR!!!)

While Mommy is seeking to make short shrift of a shower, little Dinosaur enjoys a bit of water play himself, dropping first his toy train and then his plush bunny down the toilet and flushing!

There's a rip-roaring dinosaur flood ready for Mommy when she steps out of the shower.

But that's not even the beginning of Dinosaur's day with Mommy, which started with a roar with Mommy trying to catch a few extra winks of sleep and Dino bouncing on her bed with what seems an excess of exuberance.

"MOMMY!  MOMMY!! MOMMY!!!....MOMMY!!!!!!!

The day provides plenty of contests with the ever-patient Mommy--an excursion to the supermarket, tossing the freshly-folded laundry, and finally reluctantly getting into the bath (ROAR!), reluctantly getting out of the bath, (ROAR, ROAR), and putting on pajamas (and taking the tighty-whities off his head).

Mommy collapses into the comfy chair! Dinosaur wins, right? MORE ROARS!

Will Mommy fall asleep first? It looks like the judgment is with Dinosaur's side of the case, until, in a tribute to the power of Mommies everywhere, he climbs into Mommy's soft, warm lap, in Bob Shea's latest, Dinosaur vs. Mommy (A Dinosaur vs. Book) (Hyperion Books, 2015). In Shea's vibrant Dinosaur Vs. series, his ebullient little Dinosaur has already taken on many toddler challenges--bedtime, school, the library, Santa, and his magnum conquest, the potty! A close look at the book's cover reveals that his sweet Mommy and Dinosaur drawing is being done by Dinosaur with Mommy's pink lipstick on the wall, followed by a quick sequence of sight gags that will keep preschoolers roaring with giggles as Dinosaur makes his way through the day with Mom, taking on each challenge with verve and the seemingly inexhaustible energy of little ones. "Shea's Dinosaur titles will never fail to be read-aloud hits," roars Kirkus Reviews.

Wreckin' Reptile: Rex Wrecks It! by Ben Clanton

For adults in the room, who hasn't been frustrated with the toddler who takes more joy in knocking down the block structure than building it up? No matter how neat the ramp or how clever the bridge or how tall the tower, as soon as it's done....CRASH! Down it comes.

Rex is that guy.

The little T. Rex's friends Gizmo, a thoughtful little robot, Sprinkles, a sweet, unicorn-horned bunny, and Wild, a horned and fanged little monster, are past that stage.

GIZMO'S OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD ROCKET?

REX WRECKS IT!

RAWR!!

Ditto for Sprinkle's magical floating heart and Wild's wooden wonder of the world. RAWR! and RAWR!

REX WRECKS EVERYTHING!

The three put their heads together. Gizmo's calculator grinds its gears as he blueprints his grand design on the chalkboard. The others get into the act. They pull together all the blocks they have, determined to build a design so strong that not even Rex can wreck it!

IT'S AWESOMERIFIC!

But not for long.

With his strongest RAWR, Rex roars and down it comes. Satisfied, Rex chomps a cracker, proud of his prowess. The three builders are aghast! How could he?

But Rex notices that his friends are not cheering his mighty deed. Suddenly he gets it. In a tiny voice, he says his own version of "sorry."

"RAWRY."

But Gizmo has a brainstorm and the three friends figure out a way to get Rex to let them actually finish building something. They let him help!

It's the biggest, tallest, fanciest block building ever. The four share a moment of happy pride! But then...

THERE'S JUST ONE MORE THING...TO MAKE IT EVEN BETTER....

All four of the friends give in to the temptation in Ben Clanton's Rex Wrecks It! (Candlewick Press, 2014).  Who could resist? And, after all, now they get to build it AGAIN. Clanton's engaging and expressive pencil, ink, and watercolor illustrations fill the pages with energy, as Rex's more serious companions respond to his rambunctious but infectious exuberance which finally draws them into the fun. "All told, a fine little fable," says Kirkus Reviews, and one that pairs well with Bob Shea's plays-well-with-others story, Dinosaur vs. School (A Dinosaur vs. Book) (Hyperion Books, 2014). (See review here.)

How Big? Gigantosaurus by Jonny Duddle

"BEWARE, MY CHILD,
OF THE GIGANTOSAURUS, SO FIERCE AND WILD!
WITH TEETH AS LONG AS YOU ARE TALL.

HE'LL MAKE A SNACK OF ONE SO SMALL.
HIS FEET GO STOMP! HIS JAWS GO CRUNCH!IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE, YOU'LL BE HIS LUNCH!"

Listen to Mama, Cretaceous kiddies! Even a boneheaded ankylosaurus or triceratops is just a crunchy appetizer for this guy.

Four little dinosaurs hear their mamas' warnings, but being kids, it's just a stimulus for a game of bogeyman, big time. At least, it is for young Bonehead, a feisty little ankylosaurus. He offers to play lookout from the top of a giant termite mound while his buddies, Bill, Finn, and Tiny play.

That's prudent! But wee Bonehead is not above a prank or two, or few! Just as the guys get going with their game, Bonehead sounds a warning!

"IT'S THE GIGANTOSAURUS!

QUICK! RUN AND HIDE!"

His three pals scatter and take cover, shivering with fear.

But there's no stomp and crunch to follow. It's only a harmless triceratops papa grazing nearby. Bonehead is convulsed with giggles at his gag.

"YOU RAN! YOU HID!

YOU WERE ALL SO SCARED!"

Bill, Finn, and Tiny are not amused, but Bonehead claims it was just a practice drill and they passed the test, so they go back to their game.

But Bonehead gets bored with his watch. As soon as he sees a diplodocus dad approaching, he can't resist sounding the alarm again, and then again.

The little dinos are definitely steamed. After their third run-through of the drill, they are ready to demote Bonehead from deputy duty. They've had it with the faux frights!

"WE'RE OFF TO EXPLORE.

WE'RE NOT GOING TO PLAY WITH YOU ANYMORE!"

Boney is left alone, and getting a little fearful. There's something big and noisy coming near and he hears a definite STOMP!

Will he wind up as the crunchy lunch?

As Publishers Weekly points out, it's "a witty cautionary tale that boils down to "The Ankylosaurus Who Cried Wolf." in Jonny Duddle's Gigantosaurus (Templar Books, 2014). Duddle arranges a cheerful near miss for his young prankster this time, in a lesson about lying well learned, all set in a rhyming version of the venerable Aesop's fable that gets the ancient truism across. Duddle's illustrations of a leafy and verdant Cretaceous jungle with lots of hiding places for his little herbivores make for some fun page turns, especially the concluding three-way gatefold which shows what almost happens to the little imposter when--not the dreaded gigantosaurus--but an unexpected airborne pteranodon stops by for a quick snack.

Duddle adds an appendix, "Meet the Dinosaurs in This Book," which includes the story characters and other dino denizons of the prehistoric landscape, including the parasaurolophus, and the real big guy of the swamps, the giganotosaurus. For fans of these creatures of the Cretaceous and Jurassic ages. with both exotic and old favorites, pair this one with Tim Myers' Down at the Dino Wash Deluxe. (Read review here).

Dino-Pet: If I Had A Raptor by George O'Connor

IF I HAD A RAPTOR, I'D WANT TO GET HER AS A BABY, WHEN SHE'S TEENSY AND TINY, AND FUNNY AND FLUFFY.

I WOULD GIVE HER A LITTLE BLUE BELL.

And it's a good thing our little would-be pet owner has that bell handy!

She finds her ideal pet with its litter mates in a cardboard box marked FREE RAPTORS. It's blue and furry and cuddly, and just as she'd hoped, it likes to snuggle on her lap and sun herself on the windowsill.

Just like most new pets, her baby blue raptor is a night owl, playing around "like crazy" at night and waking her up at ungodly hours of the morning so that they see a lot of sunrises together. She makes it no secret when she's hungry, but she's not above walking away from her dish, nose in the air and tail swishing, if she's not pleased with the entree.

But unlike most kitties and puppies, raptors grow and grow and GROW.Our girl has to fetch some lopping shears from the garage to trim her long claws and teach her where it is NOT a good idea to sharpen them. And that blue bell around her neck warns the birds and other potential prey when the raptor goes out for a bit of stalking practice.

But this raptor is always ready for a hug, in George O'Connor's  If I Had a Raptor (Candlewick Press, 2014).  This furry, fluffy raptor's behavior bears a close resemblance to that more common household predator pet, the cat, and ever since Syd Hoff's Danny and the Dinosaur strolled through town, kids have dreamed of a dinosaur pet, and author O'Connor obliges with a clearly fanciful dino and a young pet owner who is just as doting and delightful as can be. Artist O'Connor provides plenty of visual humor in the illustrations, while his pom-pom ponytailed pet owner shows just how it's done. Publishers Weekly gives this one a starred review, with words of high praise, saying it "strikes an ideal balance between visual sophistication and warmth."

Back to School: Dinosaur Vs.School by Bob Shea

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!

It's the first day of school, and Dinosaur has all the right stuff. He's got a snazzy retro plaid jacket and a cool lunch box.

He's got a comeback for every remark. (ROAR! ROAR!)

And he's got ... enthusiasm!

Meeting new friends? No problem with that forceful personality and grin!

DINOSAUR WINS!

Playing dress-up? Dinosaur takes charge, decked out as a policeman.

Art?

Dinosaur spreads the glue, sprinkles the glitter with abandon, and winds up with googly stick-on eyes stuck all over his body. Here's lookin' at you, guys!

Dinosaur wins again.

School snacks?

No sweat for Dinosaur to chomp the "monkey snacks." Slurp! Apple slices are history! Gobble! Raisins all gone already. Crunch! Pretzels? No problem-o! Dino wins again!

Music class?

Dino is practically a one-man band. Guitar? He can strum it. Drum? He can beat it. Accordion?He can squeeze like you wouldn't believe! Roar! Roar! Roar!

There's just one school task that stops Dinosaur and his classmates in their tracks, horrified!

SOMETHING THEY HAVE NEVER DONE BEFORE!

IT'S TOO MUCH FOR DINOSAUR!

It's clean-up time in the old schoolroom. But before Dinosaur can squeeze out more than one ROAR! he gets the idea. He leads the others in a whirlwind tidying up time, with everyone pitching in to leave the classroom spotless for the second day of school! Two ROARS for day two!

EVERYONE WINS!

Everyone roars as they head out the doors, in Bob Shea's back-to-school-themed Dinosaur vs. School (A Dinosaur vs. Book) (Hyperion Books, 2014). While this one in Shea's popular series lacks the visceral humor and focus of his earlier entries, he does a fine job of introducing first-timers to the activities to be expected in school, showing that an enthusiastic can-do attitude can go a long way on the big day. For a less bravura intro to school, pair this one with Eric Litwin and James Dean's equally positive (and best-selling) Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes (read my 2011 review here) which covers the same territory in a bit more detail, plus a sing-along tune to help move those first wary steps through the schoolroom door.

Ty Rex Rules: Tyrannosaurus Wrecks! by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen

STEGOSAURUS STACKS.

TRICERATOPS ERECTS.

GALLIMIMUS BUILDS...

All the preschoolers are on task, playing well with others. Until, OH, HECK!...

TYRANNOSAURUS WRECKS!

Ty is big and brash, a blunderbuss of a classmate, who stomps into the scene and kicks the supports out from under Stego's careful construction. The little builders are knocked back on their heels in dismay.

At the art table, another circle of youngsters is engrossed in their creations. Little Apatosaurus is coloring her picture; Velociraptor sprinkles a finishing touch  of glitter on his painting, while Pteranodon watches.  Here comes Ty and... (You guessed it!) crayons and paints fly!

TYRANNOSAURUS WRECKS!

Another student thinks it's safe to practice his cursive on the chalkboard. Ty grabs an eraser and wipes it all away.

Now Teacher has to step in with Ty's marching orders: NO! GO!

Ty goes to a well-earned time-out and his little classmates are quietly relieved. The classroom is quiet.

But not as quiet as Ty's time-out room. He gets bored, then miserable. Finally, he feels bad about the way he has behaved. Can he start this day all over again?

Even a typhoon of a Tyrannosaurus gets a second chance to have a good day, as Ty makes amends and the story ends with a surprise group giggle for everyone, in Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen's latest, Tyrannosaurus Wrecks! (Abrams Books, 2014). Illustrator Zacharias Ohora paces the paging action perfectly with Bardhan-Quillan's rhyming quatrains, and his cheery preschool classroom contrasts well with his young tempest of a tyrannosaurus, who finally figures out that his more mature classmates are more into making something than demolishing stuff.

For hard-core dino fans, the endpapers offer drawings and name of all the dinos, including even the bit players in this story. Author Bardhan-Quallen makes great use of the old T. Rex pun in funny verses at which emergent readers will enjoy trying their hands at reading aloud. Pair this one with the Caldecott-winning Aaron Reynolds' new Here Comes Destructosaurus! or one of Bob Shea's Dinosaur sagas, such as Dinosaur vs. the Potty (Board Book).

Flying High: Freddie and Gingersnap by Vincent X. Kirsch

TO A LITTLE DINOSAUR LIKE FREDDIE, IT LOOKED AS IF THE OTHER DINOSAURS HAD THEIR HEADS IN THE CLOUDS.

Freddie is obsessed with seeing what is up there in the wild blue yonder. But Freddie is a long-neck, not a pterodactyl, and he hasn't got either patience to wait or the wings for flying.

Gingersnap, a little purple girl dragon, has the wings, but she hasn't gotten the hang of getting off the ground with them yet.

The two meet rather suddenly when Gingersnap tries to launch herself into the wild blue yonder and lands right on Freddy. The two face off, baring their little fangs and twirling their spiny tales, eyeball to eyeball, growling their fiercest little growls.

Then the chase is on!

But what starts as a face-off quickly turns into a fun game, and round and round they go, as they take turns catching each other and wiggling free. But just as Freddie gets a good hold on Gingersnap's tail, the two tumble over a cliff, endng with twin kerplops, into an unfortunately placed brier patch.

There's got to be a better way to play!

The two new friends decide to join forces and work on the flying thing together, and with Freddie's unique encouragement, Gingersnap's flaps finally turn into flight, and they both see what's above those clouds at last, in Vincent Kirsch's Freddie & Gingersnap (Hyperion Press, 2014).

A little green dino and a purple dragonette are improbable pals, but as many childhood friendships do, rivalry turns into teamwork, and a lasting bond is born. Kirsch's energetic artwork eschews the conventionally softly rounded shapes usually assigned to little dinosaurs and young dragons, and their spiky and sinuous bodies give this little story its wryly comic edge. Youngsters will especially enjoy Kirsch's well placed three-page vertical gatefold depicting Gingersnap and Freddie's long fall from the cliff, and by the time Ginger gets it together and flies high with her friend on board, kids will be rooting for this unlikely twosome all the way. "This stylish tale of an unlikely friendship has an infectious rhythm," says School Library Journal.

Dinosaurs on Call: Dinosaur Rescue! by Penny Dale

DINOSAUR TRAIN CHUGGING,

CHUGGING DOWN THE TRACK.

STUCK DINOSAUR CALLING, CALLING!

DINOSAUR RESCUE,

PLEASE COME QUICK!

When your little yellow truck gets stuck at the railroad crossing, who you gonna call!

Dinosaur Rescue, that's who. Different dinosaur crewmen scramble for their vehicles, and zoom toward the scene.

WEE-OOO!  WEE-OOO!  WEE-OOO! Dinosaur Police join flying dinos in their 'copters, CHOPPA CHOPPA! CHOPPA! at the crossing, waving red flags,  as the engineer of the Dino Train hits all the brakes. SCREECH!  SCREECH, SCREECH!

The Dinosaur Train stops just in time, and the Dinosaur EMRs dismount to make sure that everyone is safe and sound, as the Dinosaur Tow-Truck pulls up to haul the little yellow truck off the tracks. BRMM! BRMM! BRMM!

All is well, and the diverse rescuers return to their headquarters for a little R & R before they hit their bunks with a SNORE! SNORE! SNORE!  in Penny Dale's action-packed Dinosaur Rescue! (Candlewick/Nosy Crow Press, 2013).  With lots of action verbs and onomatopoeic sound effects that kids will love to join in on, Dale's latest vehicular adventure makes a perfect introduction to some of the more dramatic community helpers in that favorite primary grade unit.

Dale's bright illustrations are big and bold, both realistic and imaginative, to match her breathless narrative. Even the different drivers and crew are represented accurately enough for dinosaur enthusiasts to recognize, abetted by the front endpapers which show each dino helper and its scientific name, while the back endpapers give a nod to young gearheads with the various vehicles and their names.   A great read-aloud group participation story which is also accessible to beginning readers, this one combines dinosaurs with vehicles for lovers of both and offers opportunity for discussion of coordinated community services besides.

Pair this jolly first-responder story with Michael Slack's brand-new Elecopter, (see my recent review here), or with Dale's other books in this dino-mite series, Dinosaur Zoom! and Dinosaur Zoom!

Prehistoric Takedowns: Dino-Wrestling by Lisa Wheeler

WHAT'S THE SPORT WE CAME TO SEE?

IT'S THE DINO-WRESTLING JAMBOREE.

ATHLETES TRAVEL MANY MILES.

COMPETE IN IN DIFFERENT WRESTLING STYLES.

It's the Wide World of Dino-Wrestling Olympics--with all forms of wrestling showcased.

There's the no-holds barred Free Style matches, the traditional Folkstyle falls,   the classic Greco-Roman rumbles, the loco Latin Lucha Libre, Tag Team tussles, and for the real heavyweights, the Sumo dinos thump on the dohyo.  There's a match for every fan, and the grunts and thwacks abound with all the takedowns.

Stego takes on T. Rex in Greco-Roman style, while Iguanodon deals with El Diable (Tarbosarus) in Lucho Libre form.  The Pterodactyl Twins soar in Tag Team, and of course the really big bad boys--Triceratops vs. Gigantosaurus--are the bullies of Sumo.

YES! OFFICIALS CALL FOR QUIET.
FANS JOIN IN. NOW IT'S A RIOT!

Lisa Wheeler's latest dino-sport entry, Dino-Wrestling (CarolRhoda Books, 2013), goes to the mat with her comic verses,  and artist Barry Gott's blazing muscular illustrations put the full Nelson on this fun tale for any dinosaur fan, whether they favor wrestling or not.  Wheeler and Gott have all the right moves in their dinosaur sports series, which include Dino-Football (Carolrhoda Picture Books), Dino-Soccer, Dino-basketball, (Carolrhoda Picture Books) and Dino-Baseball and judging from the broad hint on the final page of this one, the coming dino-sport attraction is going to be all about skateboarding.  OLLIE-UP, dino-skate fans!