School Library Journal Review

PreS-K-A little boy offers his imaginary dinosaur words of comfort on the first day of school. The child has an answer for everything. When Dinosaur says, "But it's too big. I'll get lost," he answers, "Don't be silly! You can't get lost because our classroom is just the right size for dinosaurs." "But it's too noisy. I'll get a headache" elicits, "It's only noisy because everyone is laughing and having a good time." The youngster assuages fear after fear until he and his alter ego encounter another child/dinosaur pair on the playground who are similarly reluctant to join in. Predictably, the kindred spirits find each other, a new friendship is born, and the next day of school is eagerly anticipated by child and dinosaur alike. The plotline here is remarkably similar to Kevin Henkes's Wemberly Worried (HarperCollins, 2000), and the conceit of a dinosaur as the extension of a child is Jane Yolen's forte in How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? (Scholastic, 2007). The illustrations feature bright colors and a diverse cast of waifish children, but there is a constant sense of both movement and instability as road and pathways curve and swirl, and the horizon line is at times almost semicircular. The tension this creates undermines the efforts to reassure.-Grace Oliff, Ann Blanche Smith School, Hillsdale, NJ Copyright 2009 Reed Business Information.