Dinosaur is, like most toddlers, very energetic and determined to always win. Dinosaur ROAR’s his way through the day, taking on challenges such as the slide (dinosaur wins!), a pile of leaves (dinosaur wins!) and a bowl of spaghetti (dinosaur wins again!). Continuing to ROAR and win all the way through his evening routine, dinosaur finds that bedtime is a very tough opponent and, I’m sure much to his parents relief, bedtime wins this final round.
The simple yet fast paced story includes a lot of opportunity for very loud ROARing. The illustrations are terrifically bold and bright, using a combination of patterned and plain coloured backgrounds, minimal detail and creative text styling to create an exciting and energetic visual experience. The quirky sense of humour, reminiscent of Mo Willem’s work (Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus), will mostly drift over the younger kids heads, but offers a story that adults will enjoy just as thoroughly.
If you love Scott Campbell’s Hug Machine (KBR review), or dinosaurs, or roaring then I would highly recommend this book to you. There is also a sequel, Dinosaur vs. The Potty, that is equally as entertaining and which offers a great alternative to the usual potty training stories on the market.
Title: Dinosaur vs. Bedtime
Author/Illustrator: Bob Shea
Publisher: Hyperion books for children, $24.99 RRP
Publication Date: 2008
Format: Hard Cover
ISBN: 9781423113355
For ages: 3+
Type: Picture Book
