Review by Booklist Review
The humor that results from giant dinosaurs in everyday settings never seems to go extinct. Here, it's Pet Day at school, and most kids bring in quotidian creatures, such as a guinea pig or dog. But one kid brings his dinos, each of which wreaks a different kind of havoc. When the tallest one sits on the bus, it literally sits on top of the bus; the smartest one eats the students' math quizzes; and so on. A chart at the back of the book identifies each kind of dinosaur, first by how it is described in the narrative, then by its scientific name. Colorful illustrations realistically portray the school setting, which makes the dinosaurs' ridiculous antics even funnier in contrast.--Foote, Diane Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by School Library Journal Review
K-Gr 2-The boy at the center of this charming story just can't seem to hit on the right creature to take to "Pet Day." Luckily he has several to choose from. He brings the tallest, widest, smartest, loudest, spikiest dinosaurs of the lot and each one disrupts the school day in amusing ways. Cheery rhyme schemes resonate throughout: "I brought a dino/for a pet,/the LOUDEST dino/I could get./After I made the introduction,/our whole classroom/needed reconstruction." Exuberant illustrations bring a sense of whimsy to the story. The facial expressions are both comical and endearing. Children will love the dino baseball game at the conclusion. A spread of "Dino Facts" is appended. With its broad appeal, this silly selection is a great choice for budding paleontologists. Pair it with Elise Broach's When Dinosaurs Came with Everything (S & S) and Jane Yolen's How Do Dinosaurs Go to School? (Scholastic, both 2007) to satisfy that age-old question: What if the dinosaurs were alive today?-Jasmine L. Precopio, Fox Chapel Area School District, Pittsburgh, PA (c) Copyright 2011. 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
The kid from Dino Pets parades his various dinosaurs into school for pet day. The creatures--tallest, spikiest, widest--wreak havoc; only "the youngest dino" (i.e., an egg) is acceptable. The text's choppy meter may trip up readers, but the cheerful tone and riotous illustrations will entertain dinosaur fans. (c) Copyright 2012. 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 little boy from Dino Pets (2007) finally gets to show his menagerie off to his class, but will school ever be the same again?Plourde's playful verse follows the little boy as he repeatedly attempts to bring just the right dinosaur to school for pet day. But the tallest dino wrecks the bus, the widest crushes the lunchroom table, the smartest eats all the math tests and the spikiest? "At recess time / we played a game. / Our soccer balls / were not the same." A final spread of dinosaur facts describes the dinosaur that fits each superlative and explains that what scientists know about these prehistoric creatures changes with new discoveries and findings. For teachers, this holds lots of spark for a creative-writing lesson...and a cautionary warning against holding a classroom pet day. Kendall's artwork glows with deadpan realism, taking this imaginative tale to a whole new dimension. Watching the little boy's pride turn to chagrin as each successive pet causes mayhem and destruction is as much fun as the chaos itself.Readers will delight in this latest dino pets installment and wonder where the dinosaurs might go for their next calamitous adventure. (Picture book. 3-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
