Review by New York Times Review
Stomp! Chomp! Watch out, here comes Dinah , an irrepressible baby dinosaur who starts life doing the kinds of things big, aggressive reptiles do. But a chance sighting of two much smaller, fluffier creatures exchanging a kiss sets Dinah on a new mission. Her attempts to do something that isn't in her nature make for silly fun that's likely to set preschoolers chomping and stomping around the room and maybe exchanging a few kisses of their own. CHICK-O-SAURUS REX By Lenore Jennewein; illustrated by Daniel Jennewein 32 pp. Simon & Schuster. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Snobbish farmyard bullies won't let Little Chick play in their treehouse ; his family isn't up to scratch . "If your father isn't brave and mighty, you'll never be either." But Chick digs deeper into his past and unearths some very big - T. rex! - bones . Treehouse acceptance ensured , he shows his own mettle while also remembering the rights of other little creatures . Daniel Jennewein's bold outlines and expressive animals make this simple story, with its interesting DNA fact , into an entertaining, good-hearted romp. GUS, THE DINOSAUR BUS By Julia Liu Illustrated by Bei Lynn 32 pp. Houghton Mifflin. $12.99. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) Getting to school in the morning would be a lot more fun if it meant sliding out your window onto the back of a friendly green dinosaur . Though other picture books have imagined the narrative possibilities of living with oversize animals, Gus , a sweet-faced herbivore who's happy to help out, is an especially charming addition to the genre. When the Gus bus runs into trouble , kids from school help him find an occupation that's an even better fit . HOW BIG WERE DINOSAURS? Written and illustrated by Lita Judge 40 pp. Roaring Brook Press. $17.99. (Picture book; ages 6 to 9) Judge knows about dinosaurs; she started going on digs at the age of 15 , and published "Born to Be Giants: How Baby Dinosaurs Grew to Rule the World" in 2010 . Here she compares dinosaurs with animals (and S.U.V.'s ) on earth today. The result is an amusing visual mismatch; a boy clings for dear life to the neck of a galloping Struthiomimus while racehorses struggle to keep up ; three cows pause in their grazing to peer worriedly at a Stegosaurus (who weighs as much as they do, combined ). DINOSAUROLOGY The Search for a Lost World By Raleigh Rimes Illustrated. 30 pp. Candlewick Press. $19.99. (Novelty book; ages 8 to 12) The large-format books in the "Ology" series, with their thick, embossed covers and scrapbooklike pages with envelopes of coded messages and tiny artifacts, are just the thing for rainy weekends and late-night flashlight reading. "Dinosaurology," supposedly the account of a 1907 "expedition into the unknown," is packed with detailed illustrations, mini-biographies of real and imagined paleontologists and a through-narrative about an island where dinosaurs still roam . Be warned: may cause a severe outbreak of dinophilia among middle-grade readers. SARAH HARRISON SMITH ONLINE A slide show of this week's illustrated books at nytimes.com/books.
Copyright (c) The New York Times Company [August 25, 2013]
Review by Booklist Review
Gus, a large apatosaurus, has found his niche in the big city: he serves as a vehicle for transporting children to school. More huggable than a yellow school bus, the dinosaur is loved by the children and they look forward to riding Gus the dinosaur bus to class each day. Recently, however, his huge size has become a problem for city workers and the complaints are increasing Gus accidentally creates potholes, knocks roofs off buildings and gets tangled in wires. When told he can no longer carry children to school, Gus' tears surprisingly help direct him to his new and equally satisfying line of work. The watercolor-and-pencil illustrations in gray, black, red, and green have a childlike quality and vitality, and the endpapers are, appropriately, apatosaurus green. Read this along with Tomi Ungerer's Crictor (1983), a story about another friendly and helpful reptile.--Owen, Maryann Copyright 2010 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Liu begins with the high points of a unique student transport system: "Who needs a bus stop when you have a dinosaur bus? Gus comes right to the door." Attendance improves, too: "Nobody sleeps late or pretends to be sick. They can't wait for Gus to arrive." But there are problems, as Lynn's goofy, childlike drawings show. "Lately, the school is getting more and more complaints.... The bills to fix the things Gus has broken are piling up." At last the principal has to shut the dinosaur bus down, and Gus is brokenhearted until the children discover that he makes an excellent living playground. Lynn's scrawled figures convey a surprising amount of feeling, as when the harassed principal is shown a photo of some new damage Gus has caused and hangs his head in despair. Liu focuses less on Gus as a character and more on a lighthearted examination of dinosaur infrastructure, a lure for kids interested in buses, highways, and big things generally. The ending doesn't quite live up to the initial excitement, but it's still a promising outing from this Taiwanese duo. Ages 4-8. (July) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-K-When a long-necked dinosaur serves as the bus, none of the kids want to miss school. Though everyone loves Gus-the city even builds a special road just for him-the principal finally tires of complaints about him knocking down traffic lights and getting tangled in phone wires and removes him from the road. Relegated to the school gym, Gus makes a swimming pool with his tears and finds a new life as the school's playground, with a swing on his tail and his long neck serving as a slide. In tone and visual details, this gentle story is reminiscent of Syd Hoff's classic Danny and the Dinosaur (HarperCollins, 1958). Lynn's scratchy, childlike watercolor and pencil cartoons have a daydreamy quality that suits Liu's simple text. Gus's story holds universal appeal; even a dinosaur can learn to turn lemons into lemonade.-Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD (c) Copyright 2013. 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
For lots of little kids, riding a school bus is excitement in itself. The schoolchildren in this Taiwanese import are lucky enough to have for their mode of transport. . .a dinosaur. "Supersaurus" Gus traipses around the city picking up kids. "The children who live in apartments don't even need to walk downstairs. They hop out their windows and slide down to their seats" (a cute bit of foreshadowing). Gus is beloved by all, but his heavy-footed-ness and long-necked-ness create municipal challenges including giant potholes and tangled telephone wires, not to mention the traffic snarls caused by him hogging all the lanes. After one too many complaints, the school principal has no choice but to pull Gus from active duty. The dino starts to cry, creating an Alice-like pool of tears. . .into which the children eagerly dive. They slide down his neck into the water -- and that gives everyone an idea, not to mention a new lease on life for Gus. The story's mild suspense is just right for the book's audience, with the solution likely to have kids wishing their own play spaces were so much fun. Scribbly watercolor and pencil illustrations on creamy paper are just how a child-drawn city might look, all shaky-lined rectangular buildings and imperfect-circle-headed people. And the kindly pea-green dino steals the show with his huge smile and even bigger heart. elissa gershowitz (c) Copyright 2013. 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
In an odd mix of Syd Hoff's Danny and the Dinosaur (1999) and Steven Kellogg's The Mysterious Tadpole (1997, 2002), Liu and Lynn team up to present the tale of Gus, a dinosaur whose bus duties are not appreciated by all the townspeople. Kids in this city don't ever pretend to be sick and are quick to be ready for school on time--they can't wait to ride Gus, the dinosaur bus. The apartment dwellers just slide down Gus' neck--no need to go downstairs. But while the children all love Gus, he is not without his problems. Though the city builds him his own road, Gus still sometimes fouls the phone lines, bumps the overpasses and knocks down traffic lights. And that's not even considering the damage his tail does. The school can't continue to pay the bills; the principal sidelines Gus, who cries huge, bathtub-filling tears. And just like that, the children discover a new role for Gus that pleases everyone. Muted blues, reds and greens give the illustrations a retro feel that contrasts with Lynn's scribbly style. The rough, watercolor-and-pencil artwork may just inspire readers to pick up art materials of their own, though it does make it difficult to make out details in the larger spreads, in which people often get lost in the lack of definition. Dinosaur lovers may be enchanted, but others will want to stick to Gus' predecessors. (Picture book. 4-8)]] Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
