Review by Booklist Review
A little boy who lives by the seaside tells a fisherman. I'm sure I saw a dinosaur and I'm sure that he saw me. Word spreads quickly among the townspeople, who hurry down to the shore. Soon the navy and air force arrive. The little boy's father does a roaring business in selling ice cream, while the only dinosaurs in sight are the boy's drawings stuck to the refrigerator and freezer, and the boy himself, now in a zip-up dino costume. Although the father's thumbs-up sign to his son signals that this was all a wildly successful publicity stunt, it's hard to not to sympathize with the amiable ice-cream man at the beach in midwinter. The pleasing verse text tells the story at a steady clip, while the richly colorful and imaginative illustrations combine cartoonlike portrayals of people with sensitive paintings of sea and sky and dramatic contrasts of light and darkness. A lark of a picture book, distinguished by verve, wit, and finesse.--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
When a boy spots a living, breathing dinosaur on the beach one wintry morning-"and I'm sure that he saw me," he adds with alarm-frenzy overtakes his town, which resembles Lyme Regis on England's southwest coast. Gapers (bearing everything from cameras to nets and swords), the media, scientists, and every branch of the armed forces all throng to the spot. "They came with sweets and sandwiches/ and soup inside a flask," writes Willis. "Some didn't know why they were there/ but didn't want to ask." The damp English chill is almost palpable in Reynolds's outdoor scenes, as is the nearly unstoppable momentum of a crowd's folly. Ultimately, readers are let in on the secret: the dinosaur and the story's narrator are one and the same-the costumed young son of the "ice-cream man," who's helping to create a demand for his father's frozen goodies during the off-season. Some adult readers may tsk at this twist, but as Willis and Reynolds proved in Who's in the Bathroom? (2007), a little transgressive humor never did anyone any harm. Ages 4-9. (Sept.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Horn Book Review
An empty beach soon becomes crowded with townspeople, news crews, and even the military when one young boy cries dinosaur. Maybe he really did see a dinosaur--or perhaps it's just a clever (diabolical, really) ploy to sell ice cream treats from his dad's beachside stand. Willis's rhymes are airtight, and Reynolds's cloudy illustrations set an appropriately foggy cold-weather scene. (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
Willis and Reynolds deliver a sharp tweak to the credulous, as just the rumor of a monster sighting prompts a mass migration of rubberneckers."One foggy, groggy morning / by the salty, splashy sea," reports a moon-faced lad, "I'm sure I saw a dinosaur / and I'm sure that he saw me." Word gets around fast, and in no time not just local residents but soldiers, sailors, scientists, divers and more have set up camps on the beach. They all bear expressions of open-mouthed wonder, and they search industriously for the elusive creature. Sharp-eyed viewers can join the search, as nearly every one of Reynolds' full-spread, comical cartoon scenes features an unobtrusive glimpse of a green tail or part of a humped back with jagged ridges. In the end, it all turns out to be a marketing ploy, foisted by the young narrator (who is last seen dressed in a dino costume and grinning mischievously) on an unsuspecting public to drum up business for his dad's ice-cream stand during the cold season. Just an innocent trick, ho ho.Another slyly disquieting outing from the creators ofWho's in the Bathroom?(2007).(Picture book. 6-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
