Review by Booklist Review
PreS-Gr. 2. Never pretending to be historically accurate, this original fairy tale will appeal to any child who has fantasized about having a pet dinosaur. Assigned to find eggs for the Grunt Tribe's Sunday brunch, Little Grunt drags an enormous egg home to his family's cave. That night, a dinosaur hatches from the egg. Little Grunt's family lets him keep the dinosaur, George, as a pet until he grows so enormous that the boy must release him back to the swamp. When a volcano erupts and the tribe seems doomed, George rescues everyone, carrying all to safety. With more funny moments than scary ones, the narrative is just right for read-alouds. The turquoise dinosaur stands out well against the dominant browns and grays of the cave and cave dwellers. Funny and well-paced, this should become a favorite for story hours. --Linda Perkins Copyright 2006 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
The whole Grunt tribe is looking forward to a giant omelet when Little Grunt's egg hunt unearths a huge specimen. Their smiles of anticipation turn to frowns when the potential brunch source blossoms into a freshly hatched dinosaur. George is a lovable little fellow, then a lovable big fellow, then the disgruntled Grunts kick him out. He's not housebroken, and his immense size and strength create other annoyances, such as blowing away the relatives with a single sneeze. Little Grunt is broken-hearted until George proves his worth by rescuing the family from certain doom, and receives suitable approbation--and a final surprise. DePaola's books possess his inimitable stamp, and this prehistoric romp is no exception: the round-faced Grunt clan is unmistakably his, as are the many comical touches such as Chief Rockhead's green banana headdress and the ladies' costume jewelry. This lively twist on the familiar tale of a boy and his pet is sure to provoke giggles. Ages 4-8. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-- Little Grunt, the youngest of the prehistoric Grunt tribe, is sent out one morning to gather two dozen eggs for Sunday brunch. Although he searches and searches, he has no luck until, at last, he happens onto the biggest egg he's ever seen. That night, the egg hatches and out comes--(you guessed it)--a dinosaur. Naming it George, Little Grunt keeps it as a pet until its size and habits (it's not housebroken) cause the annoyed tribe to banish it from their cave. Luckily for the Grunts, George holds no grudge, and when disaster strikes (in the form of a volcano), he rescues the whole family and carries them all away to safety and a new home--next door to her nest full of eggs. George becomes Georgina and all live happily ever after. On the surface, this looks like a typical dePaola picture book--colorful and cheery in nature. But both story and illustrations are lackluster, with no surprises or unexpected twists, and none of the sly, gentle humor that have made his ``Bill and Pete'' stories (Putnam) so much fun. Granny Grunt's suggestion that a cockroach might make a better pet than a dinosaur is about as funny as it gets. What could have been a winning combination, dePaola and dinosaurs, is bland and boring--a disappointing performance. --Linda Boyles, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Horn Book Review
Little Grunt's pet dinosaur, George, has to leave when he gets too big for the family cave. But the Grunts take him back when he rescues them from an erupting volcano. DePaola has the cave people saying, ''ooga ooga''; Mama Grunt seems to care only about cooking. Moronic in its humor and sexist in its characterization, the story is one huge cliche. From HORN BOOK 1990, (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
The popular author sets a predictable story among cavemen, adds dinosaurs, and terms the result a fairy tale--certainly a loose term at the best of times. The Grunts are expecting the Ugga-Wugga tribe for brunch, but what to feed them? Little Grunt brings home a giant egg, which won't do because it hatches. The resulting dinosaur, ""George,"" doesn't make a good pet; but after being banished for being inconveniently huge, ""he"" returns to save the Grunts from an erupting volcano--and proves to be not George but Georgina. The illustrations are typical dePaola. The kids will lap it up, as they do TV cartoons of the same undemanding quality. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
