I'm bad!

Kate McMullan

Book - 2008

A hungry Tyrannosaurus rex searches for food in the prehistoric forest but is thwarted in its attempts to find something to eat.

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Subjects
Genres
Picture books
Published
New York : Joanna Cotler Books 2008.
Language
English
Main Author
Kate McMullan (-)
Other Authors
James McMullan (illustrator)
Edition
1st ed
Physical Description
unpaged : col. ill. ; 24 x 28 cm
ISBN
9780061229725
9780061229718
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Like the bragging, swaggering vehicles in the authors' previous titles, such as I Stink! (2004), the tyrannosaurus narrator of this picture book is all boasts: I'm REALLY bad. Scare-the-tails-off-all-the-other-dinosaurs BAD. After showing off his mighty features, somewhat defensively ( Did you just call me BABY ARMS? Long as yours, pal 20 times stronger ), the dino hunts unsuccessfully for a meal, and his bluster wears thin: Am I ever gonna eat again? There's gotta be food in the forest . . .  There is. And it comes from Mom, who appears in a dramatic fold-out page that shows her towering size, amplifying the surprise that the dinosaur speaker is a pint-size youngster. As in I Stink! the high-energy illustrations and macho narrator's words create a rowdy, crowd-pleasing whole. Children will delight in the dinosaur's wild expressions and the dynamic text, filled with comic-book sound effects. Pair this with David Ezra Stein's Monster Hug (2007), which includes a similar transformation of hulking monster into cuddly kid.--Engberg, Gillian Copyright 2008 Booklist

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

The winning team behind I Stink! and I'm Dirty! trade garbage trucks and bulldozers for another machine-size marauder: a green-and-blue T. rex with an attitude. "Are you bad?" taunts the Tyrannosaur, uncannily eye-to-eye with the audience. "I'm really bad... Got rip-'em-up claws. Got bite-'em-up fangs. Bad breath? Yeaaahhhhhhh." At first, the T. rex fills the full-bleed, tropical spreads in a riot of orange, purple and yellow. A proud bully, he shows off "a swivel neck for watchin' my back," then whips around to confront the reader again: "Did you just call me Baby Arms? Long as yours, pal." Despite his posturing, this T. rex is a little defensive, and although he stalks prey, he never catches anything. When he throws a weepy tantrum ("I need chow right now... owowow"), a vertical gatefold pictures a much larger T. rex towering over him. "Mom?! I wasn't crying," he chirps as she supplies a dead lizard ("Awright--takeout!"). The McMullans play their cards just right--kids will love the joke of the tough guy who still needs his mother. Ages 4-8. (May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review

PreS-Gr 2-What could possibly equal the McMullans' audacious garbage truck in I Stink! (2002) and the brazen backhoe in I'm Dirty! (2006, both HarperCollins) for unadulterated attitude? Why, a towering, tough-talking T. rex, of course, complete with "rip-'em-up CLAWS," "bite-'em-up FANGS," and "Bad breath." (And don't even think of making fun of its "baby arms.") This creature is really big, "6-tons-of-MUSCLE-on-the-hustle BIG," with a "BIG empty belly growling for GRUB." Despite the beast's bravado, however, its attempts at catching prey are repeatedly-and hilariously-foiled. The predator's state of mind moves from arrogance to despair on a wonderfully illustrated psychedelic spread awhirl with forest foliage and easy-to-spot edible critters that the frustrated T. rex can smell but can't find. As the great hunter lies on its back having a tantrum, a vertical fold-out page is lifted to reveal the reptile's even bigger mother, who provides a bit of "takeout" for her grateful child. Vibrant artwork done in bold shades of green, orange, and violet equal the swaggering text in tone, energy, and humor. Whether devoured during a boisterous storytime or consumed independently, children will eat this one up.-Joy Fleishhacker, School Library Journal (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

(Preschool, Primary) Here the McMullans switch their focus from big hunks of metal (I Stink!, rev. 5/02; I'm Dirty!, rev. 11/06) to a big hunk of reptile. "Are you BAD? I'm REALLY bad. Scare-the-tails-off-all-the-other-dinosaurs BAD." Not content to let his teeth do the talking for him, this T. Rex boasts in detail about his fearsome physical attributes before heading off to hunt. The orange, green, and purple swirling sky evokes a volcanic atmosphere against which Jim McMullan's commanding cartoon beast appears to live up to his self-proclaimed reputation. But as he repeatedly fails to catch his prey, the reader's view of him changes from bad to sad. Though played for laughs, the story conveys real information about dinosaurs and the Cretaceous Era, depicting, for instance, the type of small mammals -- or, in our narrator's words, "meatballs" -- that would have been on a T. Rex's menu. And what does the world's most infamous carnivore do after an unsuccessful hunting expedition? Throw a tantrum, of course, until Mom comes to the rescue with "takeout." From HORN BOOK, (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

"Are you BAD? / I'm REALLY bad. / Scare-the-tails-off-all-the-other-dinosaurs / BAD." This T. rex has bad breath, a swivel neck and "triple-digit, / kick-a-whomper / STOMPERS." After checking off a few more of his stats, he admits he's very hungry. He chases flyers but they get away. He can't catch the runners; they're too fast. Even the little fuzzies escape. He sees a triceratops on the hoof, but it has backup. This big baddie is going to starve! Flip up that gatefold . . . and there's his mom with some dino "takeout." The formula isn't new, but here McMullans have not only added an alliterative, rhythmic gem to their list of crowd-pleasers, they've also created an endearingly flawed character in this dino, who's sure to please any thunder-lizard lover. From the bright, heavy-lined watercolors to the braggadocio kids will revel in, this is an easy choice for multiple-copy purchases. (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.