Review by Booklist Review
Gr.-2. At first glance this looks very likeane Yolen and Mark Teague's How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight (2000) and its sequel-- from its size and colors to the expressions on the characters' faces. But on closer inspection, it's very different. Fine's art is looser, more thickly brushed, and less patterned and precise than Teague's; as for the text, there's a real story, rather than a collection of scenarios keyed to a common theme. Lund tells a happy-go-lucky tale about a motley crew of dinosaurs who set sail for a watery adventure, relaying it in a zesty rhyme that makes the most of the prefix dino ("dinosailors choose a course / Raise anchor using dinoforce"). All goes well until winds blow strong, and "dino tummies slosh and churn." Although the critters finally lose their lunch (spewing green spray from afar in one spread), they keep their spirit of adventure, which they sensibly reroute to solid ground: "Dinotrainers, all aboard." The rhythm and word play are the fun here. --Stephanie Zvirin Copyright 2003 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
A jumbo crew sets sail for fun ("They're hale and hearty-dinotough!/ They talk of salty sailing stuff") in this exuberant picture book, and while all goes well at first ("Heave ho! Heave ho! This life's for me,/ Dinosailing on the sea!"), when foul weather hits, "dinofeet miss solid ground." Fine's (Piggy Pie!) swirling perspectives chronicle the swells from outside and inside the vessel, making justifiable the bout of seasickness that follows (perhaps not so justifiable is the wordless sunset image of them all spewing overboard like so many bile-green fireworks). The sailors sell their boat and swear to the life of landlubbers ("They'd rather dinostroll than float"). Wanderlust is rekindled, however, after a brief spell ashore, and the book leaves the door open for a sequel as the jolly bunch, now transformed into "dinotrainers," chugs off down the track. Fans of the prehistoric lizards will embrace the chipper rhymes, bursting with dino wordplay ("They dinosault like Ping-Pong balls,/ Bumping dinorumps and walls"). Lund's high-spirited humor finds a match in Fine's gouache and watercolor illustrations. Endpapers introduce "Your Dinocrew" (including Captain Hadrosaurus and Cabin Boy Tyrannosaurus rex), who thereafter swagger, stagger and cavort across the pages sporting toothsome grins and ridiculously tiny nautical caps perched on their outsize heads. Young salts and dinosaur devotees will likely be happy to sign on for a cruise with this boisterous bunch. Ages 3-7. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 2-A half dozen dinosaurs head out to sea with humorous (and gross) results. Rhyming text tells the story with a fairly strong rhythm and a usually even flow. Verses are peppered with sometimes clever "dinowords": "Dinosailors need a break./They shiver, ache, and dinoshake./Though winds die down to just a breeze,/They still have wobbly dinoknees." Though overdone on occasion (e.g., "dinosault" for somersault), this device adds to the playful tone of the narrative. Fine's gouache-and-watercolor illustrations add a great deal of humor and appeal. Facial expressions convey the sailors' delight or dismay without detracting from their dinosaur essence. The pictures have plenty of amusing touches, such as the bandanna-wearing, eye-patched stegosaurus and the brachiosaurus with a life jacket and neck ring. After rough waters and too much food, the dinosaurs head for the rails, and a wordless spread depicts six blasts of vomit against a glittering sunset. This image will either repulse or tickle readers, and may render the book a little less comfortable as a storytime choice for some. After giving up on sailing, the "dinobunch" comes up with a new plan, taking over a train on the final page. Nancy Shaw's Sheep on a Ship (Houghton, 1989) is a more subtle example of the animals-at-sea premise, but the attractive illustrations and subject matter should make Dinosailors a hit.-Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR (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
Six dinosaurs set sail with great bravado but have trouble when a storm hits. They dinosault like Ping-Pong balls, / Bumping dinorumps and walls. After becoming spectacularly seasick, they decide to forsake sailing and become train enthusiasts instead. Lund may overuse the dino prefix, but her bouncy rhyme will elicit chuckles, and the in-your-face illustrations are well suited to their preposterous subject. From HORN BOOK Spring 2004, (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
Expect dino fans to roar with approval as a crew of huge, toothy saurians thunders up the gangplank, ready to set sail for an exhilarating dino-cruise. Hardly have they cast off, however, when a storm blows up, and their enthusiasm pales along with their complexions: "Their dinotummies slosh and churn. / They groan with every twist and turn. / Their paling faces dinofrown. / 'Heave ho!' They cry. 'It won't stay down!' " Indeed it doesn't, as a green and gross wordless spread reveals. Fine's art isn't (happily, in this case) as finished as usual, but his dinosaurs are both identifiable, and in high spirits or low, easy to identify with. In an ending that segues nicely into John Steven Gurney's Dinosaur Train (2002), barely have the erstwhile sailors staggered back ashore when they're gripped by a new enthusiasm: " 'Dinotrainers, all aboard!' " Readers will happily go along for the ride. (Picture book. 7-9) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
