Loaded and Railroaded: All Aboard the Dinotrain by Deb Lund and HowardFine

"FAREWELL!" THE DINOFAMILIES CRY.
WITH CHEERS, THE DINOS WAVE GOOD-BYE,
ADVENTURES WAIT JUST DOWN THE TRACK.
"WE'RE OFF!" THEY SAY. "BUT WE'LL BE BACK!"

As clearly promised in the previous dino-adventure, Dinosailors board book Houghton Mifflin, 2011), the spirited saurians are off for another trip--this time by train. The motley crew, striped railroad caps and overalls and all, clamber atop the railroad cars and chug away. With tons and tons of dinos aboard, their train is clearly stressed. no express. In fact, as they begin their climb up into the beckoning snow-capped mountains, the dino-crew find that they have to provide a bit of motive muscle to the mix.

"WE THINK WE CAN!" THEY DINOSAY.
"OUR DINOMIGHT WILL SAVE THE DAY."

But even dino-motivation can't quite come up with the motion until they dino-download some dinofreight. At last they make the peak. Now they're rolling!

THEY DINOSCREAM AND SQUEAL,"YIPPEE!"
AND WAVE THEIR DINOARMS WITH GLEE.

But the dinoglee is short-lived. Careening down the other side of the mountain, they are greeted by a frightful dinosight!

"OH,NO!" THE DINOBRAKEMEN SHOUT!
"THE TRAIN WON'T STOP. THE TRESTLE'S OUT!"

Yep, it's another dino-disaster! On sea or land, it seems the travellin' saurians are bound to wind up soggy. As the train makes the hurdle over the broken bridge, its crew dinorockets off the bridge, to land--where else? in the dino-drink again!

"HOW CAN IT BE?
WE THOUGHT THIS TRIP WAS WATER-FREE!"

The dinos drag themselves back home, damp and discouraged. But hope springs eternal in the prehistoric heart....

"WE'LL NEVER TAKE ANOTHER TRAIN...
BUT HOW ABOUT... A DINOPLANE?"

Howard Fine's glowing gouache and watercolor illustrations, filled with up-to-date dino morphology and markings, fill the pages with dino delight in this forthcoming new board book edition of Deb Lund's jolly rhyming All Aboard the Dinotrain board book (Houghton Mifflin, 2011). And true to the form of the previous book, barring an asteroid strike in dinoland, these dinotrippers will be taking flight for their next transportation tale.

Wild Thing! If You're A Monster and You Know It by Rebecca and Ed Emberley

IF YOU'RE A MONSTER AND YOU KNOW IT

SNORT AND GROWL!

And if you are that monster, you'll surely want to show it--and that's just what all little storytime listeners will be sure to do when they experience Rebecca and Ed Emberley's just published If You're A Monster And You Know It (Orchard, 2010).

Set to the familiar nursery tune of "If You're Happy And You Know It," and done up in Caldecott winner Ed Emberley's ebullient mature style, this newest collaboration of father and daughter Ed and Rebecca Emberley is a real knockout! Artist Emberley, always a groundbreaker in creative style, makes good use of technology, setting his day-glo foreground colors against a shiny black background that makes them almost explode off the page with excitement. Emberley's monsters here are arresting but not a bit scary, composed of irregular but familiar shapes, suggesting more than anything else the kind of joyous excitement that Maurice Sendak's famous wild things' rumpus inspired.

If You're A Monster And You Know It is made for audience participation, and youngsters will be happy to oblige as the monsters "snort and growl, smack claws, stomp, wiggle warts, twitch tails", and "give a ROAR" as the story progresses. And be sure there's plenty of room when the story comes to its grand finale:

IF YOU'RE A MONSTER AND YOU KNOW IT

THEN YOU'LL SURELY WANT TO SHOW IT.

IF YOU'RE A MONSTER AND YOU KNOW IT

DO IT ALL! (Snort and growl, smack your claws, stomp, stomp, twitch your tail, wiggle your warts, roar roar)

Preschoolers and Kindergarteners will have a monster mash with this one, but a word to the wise--don't schedule this one right before rest time! Send them outside to let off steam. And then have plenty of colorful shapes, pop-out warts, and lots of glue ready to have fun creating make-your-own monster masks and stage a dress performance of If You're A Monster And You Know It all over again.

Note: For a little musical assistance, Scholastic/Orchard Books offers with the book a free download of the song "If You're A Monster and You Know It," performed by Emberley's granddaughter Andrian. A great way to kick off the scary season ahead!

Tall Tale Papa: My Dad by Chae Strathie

MY DAD TELLS ME TALES

OF INCREDIBLE THINGS,

LIKE HOW HE ONCE SPROUTED

A GREAT PAIR OF WINGS.

Any kid who has a dad lucky enough to fancy himself quite the raconteur is lucky. The little girl in Chae Strathie's My Dad! has such a dad, one who gives himself fantastical adventures and allows his little listener the opportunity to go along with him as he spins his yarn.

HE BATTLED A DRAGON

WHO LIVED IN A CAVE,

AND RESCUED A PRINCESS.

HOW TERRIBLY BRAVE.

And the captive princess rescued is, of course, daddy's little girl, who imagines herself the heroine (or at least the loyal apprentice) in every tale her dad conjures up.

Strathie's My Dad! (Worthwhile Books, 2010), perkily rhymed and softly illustrated by Jacqueline East, is a tribute for Fathers Day to dads who not only bring home the bacon but know how to ham it up, feeding their children's imaginations along the way.